hinçman

I am not afraid - What are you NOT afraid of?

2011-09-11T19:59:00.002-04:00

I asked this question about 5 years ago. I thought it would be appropriate to re-post this today...

I sent this out in March via my eMail address, and got tons of responses. I thought I'd post it here, with the compiled list. I hope people add to it.

March 30, 2006

I AM NOT AFRAID

I was just thinking about how fear affects us, and how there are a lot of things in the world that I am supposed to be afraid of, but I'm not. I was thinking about how I make decisions based upon the fact I am not afraid - even if someone tells me I should be.

A student of mine was in a major bike accident last year. Two days ago, I saw him zipping his bike in and around rush-hour traffic with his helmet firmly strapped to his backpack. I called him moments later on his cell phone (I knew he'd be home) and told him how happy I was he was protecting the contents of his bag with his helmet. I was once also hit by a car while riding my bike. I do not own a bike helmet. I am not afraid to ride my bike without one. Among all the things I should be afraid of, that fear is perhaps the most reasonable.

The List as of

April 30, 2006

love
heights
walking at night in the woods
scary movies
riding my bike without a helmet
the middle east
homosexuals
heights
terrorists
the information technology age
airplanes/helicopters (although the noise they make scares the living daylights out of me.)
the dance floor
airports
therapy
showing my work
honesty
beets
being far from home
parenting
my son
death
life
risk
replying belated
being lost
brutal truths
awkward silences
solitude
heights/vertigo
speed
turbulence
lightning
spicy, sour, or bitter food
ugliness
snakes
aliens
aging
death/dead things
blood
needles
doctors/hospitals
childbirth
new technology/ideas/opinions
art!
Traveling alone
Change (not the money)
Being a single woman in a society that places more value on married couples and family
Starting new
Foreigners
the truth,
the present moment,
fundamental Christians,
growing old,
dying,
and being wrong.
using knives, forks and spoons that have fallen on the floor
straight people
eating new foods
crossing the street in the middle of the block
new ideas
My subconscious.
Aids
Strangers
Facing the music
Being broke
My health
Guilty people
rain
government
definitely riding my bike w/out a helmet
nuclear war
cancer
walking down an empty street at night
speaking in front of a large group of people
debt
DRIVING WITHOUT MY SEATBELT ON
DEAD
POLICE
DOGS
GETTING LOST SOMEWHERE FAR FROM HOME
SPEAKING LOUD
AIDS
CANCER
TECHNOLOGY
THINKING
METTING NEW PEOPLE
DARKENESS / WALKING AT NIGHT
TRAVELING
MISTAKES
BLOOD
HUMANITY
THE SEA
DESERT
germs
biking in traffic (WITH helmet)
ignoring norms/expectations/traditions
spiders
weird or new foods
becoming fat
Walking around Boston
Swimming
Sleeping with my door open
Airplanes
opening my mouth and letting whatever is there just fall out
the dark
a challenge
public speaking
bad weather
disabled people
True Love
riding without a seatbelt in a car
-- walking home alone late at night in nyc
-- eating foods that have passed their expiration date (as long as they don't taste/smell spoiled)
-- using a public restroom
-- further to the above, sitting on a toilet seat in a public restroom
-- going throughout life NEVER using that stupid antibacterial stuff for my hands
-- mice, rats, bugs, cockroaches, bees, worms, slugs, snakes, etc. etc. etc.
-- traveling alone anywhere in the world
a blank canvas
very deep water
dark caves
ideas I don't understand
fresh cougar tracks
being alone
electricity
delivering a lamb
admitting I am powerless over some things
affection
running alone at night.
germs.
bird flu
trans-atlantic plane crash
european budget airline plane crash
exploding double-decker bus
exploding trains
avalanches
falling rocks
language barriers
love
anthropomorphism
walking alone at night
perverts
kissing morning-breath lips
dirt
chainsaws
art that might fall apart
getting old
Iran
Iraq
immigrants
homosexuals
terrorists
spiders
snowstorms
thunderstorms
travelling
flying in airplanes
being alone at night (in a house)
the dark
the underneath of my bed
swimming in deep water
psychics
riding my bike alone at night
strangers
germs
my nipples showing through my shirt
my bra showing through my shirt
not shaving
new york city
moving/changing cities
mice
priests/the clergy
making the wrong choice
what's in my closet
what my grandparents think (of my choices)
what my parents think (of my choices)
what your parents think (of my choices)
marijuana
alcohol
monsters
aging
ghosts
relationships
I am not afraid of strangers
I am not afraid of the dark
I am not afraid of people of color
I am not afraid of men
I am not afraid of getting old
I am not afraid of snakes, or sharks or bees
I am not afraid of flying or driving in a car
I am not afraid of immigrants
I am not afraid of germs
I am not afraid of loving
snakes
plane crashes
tornados
dirt
god
the forest
the dark
Death/dying
Other cultures/religions
Snakes
Living in the city
Being alone
The future
Economic insecurity
Change
Black People
Provacative Thought and Conversation
Motorcycles
Powerful people
Tofu
dying in a plane crash
gutting animals
looking fat
having armpit stains
(also terrorsits, spiders and homeosexuals)
getting lost
speaking in public
having a family member/close friend die
rats, snakes and worms
driving a car
the sun
fumes
power tools
getting robbed
Life
making things with my hands
confrontation
getting rid of things
africa
culture-shock
snakes
walking home alone in the dark
people different than me
starting something new
body movement
being a single mom
public speaking
swimming in the ocean
driving fast
figuring out how to get someplace without map (i.e. getting lost)
Failing
Not afraid of chocolat or tofu,
long underwear or none,
showering with others,
dust in the house,
owning a ridiculous-looking car,
making sculpture in the way that suits me most and most of the world doesn't giveashit.
flying
heights
gaining weight
my father
dealing with horrible customers
meeting new people who might judge me
hipsters
mice
my boss
looking ugly
getting pregnant
the dentist
cavities
people disagreeing with me
climbing the tallest of tall trees or ladders that shouldn't be climbed
consuming expired eggs
snakes, NOT spiders
standing out in cheyenne wyoming
Poverty
Molten metal splash
radical thinkers
chocolate
making amends
going to therapy
crying
surfing waves (up to 4ft)
windsurfing
paddling outrigger canoe
speaking in public
groups
my family
my friends
helicopters circling my house all night
working on the 45th floor in one of the tallest buildings in Los Angeles
driving in boston
and when I really get honest- living
dogs
being happy
failure
relationships
friendship
vulnerability
water
honesty
doctors
silence
traveling through poor lands
hard work
getting dirty
being alone
sacrifice for worthy causes
of sustaining physical injury
I am not afraid of flying
riding a bike without a helmet (in the country -even tho I broke my collar bone)
homosexuals or lesbians or cross dressers, whatever
subways, MTAs, BARTS, etc.
avian flu
mad cow's disease
swimming in the ocean
roses
Rome
London
Paris
Tehran
mice
babies
lightning
fire
heights
the ocean
chain saw
h5n1
tree climbing with no rope
not having health insurance
god or a lack there of
debt
Global Warming 2000's / Global Cooling 1970's
the 2nd Amendment
Bird Flu, Mad Cow, Monkey Pox
going bankrupt
home birth
Democrats
Getting into a small airplane piloted by someone i hardly know
small spiders
new relationships
technology
the I.R.S.
my brother
eating too much cheese
mad cow disease
getting old
i'm not afraid of going to an interview with a black eye
love

The Bench is Back!!!

2011-08-19T11:08:00.001-04:00

The Bench is Back!!!, a photo by hincman on Flickr.

Matthew Hincman

Proposing Temporary Public Art in Boston

2011-08-08T12:38:00.002-04:00

The City of Boston has a web page with a link to the application for proposals for temporary public art in Boston. Check it out here, and I will make a permanent link in the sidebar for future reference.

A great new project!

2011-07-20T15:20:00.005-04:00

This is Joel Murphy and one of his collaborators who have made a new, low cost, pulse sensor that works with the popular open-source Arduino hardware/software platform. Very cool.

Gwozdziec Painting

2011-07-18T17:46:00.003-04:00

Here's the blog dedicated to the painting portion of the project, now underway in Poland.

A possible experiment to look for the connection between mirror neurons and communication via spoken language

2011-07-07T17:57:00.004-04:00

This has been floating around in my brain for some time now, and I thought I would just plop it down here. Ever get annoyed by folks who travel to, say, Great Britain and come home with a "fake" accent? They sound so stupid and pretentious, don't they? But what if there were a neurological underpinning for their accent acquisition? What if they need to acquire the accent - meaning they need to acquire the motor coordination to make the sounds as if they were a Brit, so that their mirror neurons would fire similarly when listening to someone from the U.K.? I know, a far-fetched neurological idea from a sculptor. And I doubt that fMRI is up to it to look at such subtle differences in brain activity when speaking (or hearing) a word in British or American english.

But, if and when brain imaging resolution is high enough, you could set up to observe someone from the US, say, who is moving to the UK.

1) You would first do a control fMRI brain functioning with their native english, focusing on particular words that have very different sounds (and different mouth/vocal actions required to make the sounds) from British english (or Canadian - think of the word "about"). Also, you would record their speech - a specific statement that would be repeated during the latter portion of the study.

2) Then you would do a similar control (on a different subject, also moving to the UK?) with the British spoken word equivalents.

3) Then, six months to a year in, you would a) record the speech of the subject and compare it to changes from their first recording. b) do an fMRI of the same sounds, and see if there is a difference.

Something like that, anyway....

Gwozdziec Re!Konstrukcja

2011-06-27T15:26:00.003-04:00

Here's an update from the field on the reconstruction of the Gwozdziec Synagogue roof structure for the Museum of the History of the Polish Jews being built in Warsaw.

Book List

2011-06-21T10:24:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I have been fortunate these past few months to be able to sit and read a lot of good stuff. Starting today, I am going to begin to compile a Reading List in the sidebar. It may take me a little while to format it in the best possible way, so be patient. But I will try to include a little synopsis of each book, why it is relevant to me as a maker and educator, and how you can get the book.

Ok, please enjoy, and please give me some feedback as well!

Enough Said

2011-06-21T10:20:00.000-04:00

Check out these awesome cards by my friend Alessandra Mondolfi! They're perfect for every possible emotion you might want to convey!

Whole Foods Debate

2011-03-11T11:42:00.000-05:00

How do we simultaneously hold and support the values of a local food economy, and what that provides for our families, and supporting a neighborhood with a diverse socio-economic background? I, personally, cannot support the notion of an "affordable" grocery store at the location of the former Hi-Lo, as (without further elaboration) it goes against the very fabric of my being in terms of food safety, and social justice in the food realm. I understand that without the corporate food-agri monster, many folks would not have access to the kind of nutritious food that they now have. And I also understand that many folks cannot afford the local foodstuffs (with the appropriate salaries and benefits to the farmers). It's expensive.

Those against Whole Foods seem to be against it as a symbol of gentrification. Many would argue gentrification began in JP in the mid-seventies when a home now worth $600,000 could be purchased for less than $50,000. Many homes that turned over during that time period have seen better days. There is a single family home for sale on Spring Park Ave for $319,000 - with a 2 car garage! A steal! But the thing is, it has been unkempt for so long, it is practically a tear-down. Whomever buys that house will have to put tens of thousands of dollars into it to keep it from returning to the earth. That'll take someone with some serious $ in the bank (or serious time and skill) to pull it off. How does that kind of neglect in an economically depressed neighborhood contribute to an eventual gentrification because folks on the lower economic scale cannot afford to purchase and fix-up a home that is that far gone?

Complicated.....

Why Is Whose Foods Blaming Whole Foods for Singlehandedly Gentrifying Jamaica Plain?

2011-03-01T18:24:00.000-05:00

Why Is Whose Foods Blaming Whole Foods for Singlehandedly Gentrifying Jamaica Plain?
Here's some other folks' take on this.

Whose Food? Whole Foods? The JP Division.

2011-03-01T17:44:00.000-05:00

OK, so this topic is beginning to irk me. Even though no one reads this, I thought I would jot down my thoughts. Two questions

1) What does "Whose Food?" really want?

2) What does the loss of Hi-Lo really mean?

OK, I can't tackle the first question, so let's start with the second.

I used to live directly next door to the Hi-Lo (I was on Perkins Street - my dining room window overlooked the alley). The loss of Hi-Lo will mean that no longer will juice from butchering animals be hosed into the alley. It will mean finding ripe avocados in JP will become a little harder - along with cilantro, too. It will mean the closest market to me will not have garlic grown in China. It will mean that the inexpensive foods that Hi-Lo sold will have to be purchased at a larger super market like the Stop & Shop (or is it Shaws?) in Jackson Square. It will mean that the empty Hyde Square storefronts will probably fill up again. It will mean the loss of a cultural icon and a community gathering place.

It will mean that the local latin markets will (and probably already have) see a big increase in traffic. It will mean a better market will fill a spot in the JPNDC building in Hyde Square.

I am friends with Dave and Christine from City Feed, and I know many of the folks who work for them. I support them - a local business that hires local folks, and support a local food economy. I like to get my garlic there, 'cause it is often from a Massachusetts farm. It is more expensive that the garlic from China. But I want to support a local business. I think City Feed has done a really great job building community, and spreading the word about local food, and local CSAs, and other local businesses. But guess what? Labor costs in Massachusetts are pretty high. Jobs are competitive. And so food costs more. Even the Harvest Co-op with their membership, which I must say I frequent, is expensive. And the produce is less than stellar. But they made a commitment to the highest quality food, and at a sort-of reasonable price. I also like the fact that it is small - I personally don't like big markets - Star, Stop & Shop, Shaws, or even Whole Foods. I don't need that many choices of pasta or canned tomatoes, or pre-made salads.

Now, folks from "Whose Food?" and I share the values of a local food economy. Corporate Agri-business is a terrible thing, and has done terrible things to our diet as a nation. In order to take back that control, I, like these folks, have made a commitment to purchasing the finest, most sustainably raised food I can. My family gets the majority of our food from CSAs & food clubs. We get veggie CSAs all year. We get all our meat and fish through local CSAs. We get raw, unpasturized milk from grass fed cows from a local farm in Foxboro. This milk cost $10 a gallon.

From the debate, I am hearing that Whose Food? wants a local business to come in to sell inexpensive food to the Latino community - but I doubt that would include $10 per gallon milk.

I find it hard to imagine the answer to the first question I posed: What does Whose Food? want? I don't think it is about food-justice, which I believe is a social justice issue, and one of the most important issues of our time. It feels more like a vendetta against Whole Foods. But where was Whose Food? when Hi-Lo was selling empty calories to their customers? Where was Whose Food? to calculate the carbon footprint of the garlic, queso fresco, and mangos (all conventionally grown) being shipped from across the world? Where was Whose Food? to advocate for a better working environment for the folks who worked at Hi-Lo? Why isn't Whose Food? picketing daily in front of the market in Jackson Square for different items to be put on their shelves at a demanded price? This feels like an opportunistic jab at Whole Foods that, frankly, has little to do with diversity.

Yeah, Firefly Bicycles

2011-02-17T17:45:00.000-05:00

Another business born out of a love and dedication to CRAFT. Go Tyler, Jamie, & Kevin!

LUMIX PHONE

2010-10-04T22:59:00.000-04:00

Here it is. Could be interesting. A 13.2 mega-pixel camera - phone.

Completed Mendell Fence, Roxbury & Jamaica Plain, Boston, Massachusetts

2010-09-19T14:28:00.001-04:00

Completed Mendell Fence, Roxbury & Jamaica Plain, Boston, Massachusetts
Originally uploaded by hincman

I was commissioned to design and create a fence to enclose a new outdoor classroom at the Ellis Mendell School on School Street on the border between Jamaica Plain and Roxbury. Here it is. The project was generously supported by the Edward Ingersol Browne Fund, the Center for Art and Community Partnerships at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and Sculpture Metalworking and Welding Shops at MassArt. I would like to thank the following folks who's labor and support made this happen: Alaina Mahoney, Ray Krenecki, Molly Withers, Karen Cahill, Julia Bott, Julie Stone, Karen Pfefferle, Lizzie Bodkin, Mike Clapham, Ezra Frechette, Matt Koestner, Ryan Krakowski, Reid Drum, Ken Hartl, Howie Larosee, Jeffery Refinatti, Casey Engels, Tina Hinajosa, Karin Goodfellow, Bob Fleming, Chantal Duchard, Kaki Martin, and my very patient and lovely wife, Elena. I apologize if I have forgotten anyone! Please let me know!

Boston is Hungry.

2010-08-08T14:03:00.001-04:00

Boston is Hungry.
Originally uploaded by hincman

Matthew Hincman

Pollen High Water Mark at Jamaica Pond

2010-04-19T14:14:00.001-04:00

Pollen High Water Mark at Jamaica Pond
Originally uploaded by hincman

Matthew Hincman

IPCC erroneously states himalayan glaciers to be gone by 2035

2010-01-27T09:04:00.000-05:00

I'm not dead, yet! Part typo, part speculation, the glaciers won't be going anywhere soon.

See articles here

7-Day Forecast for Latitude 42.28°N and Longitude 71.12°W

2010-01-13T08:25:00.000-05:00

7-Day Forecast for Latitude 42.28°N and Longitude 71.12°W

This is where I get my weather info from. Just thought you'd like to know.

Uncertainty and Religion

2009-12-07T23:43:00.000-05:00

It seems to me that one of the great benefits of religion (I was raised in a Catholic Family, but do not currently subscribe to any religion) is it's ability to eliminate uncertainty. For instance, I know of no one who has first hand account of what happens when you die. I am fairly certain my body will be turned to ash, or buried in the earth and eaten by worms. But my "soul" - my consciousness - I have no idea. In the Catholic tradition, the spirit (if all goes well) rises to heaven. Whew! Uncertainty contained! Now my belief in what will happen (my soul rising to heaven after I die) has replaced the uncertainty of not knowing (no one has ever come back - at least in modern times - to tell us what happens).

The study of the earth's climate has become a religion, in that it believes that it has erased all uncertainty, and replaced it with a truth.

In both religion and climate science (or, the religion of climate science) the belief has, well, a caveat. I was perhaps a bit cavalier when I mentioned my soul would rise to heaven when I die. In fact, it could sink to hell. BUT, if I subscribe to a particular behavior attached to a moral code, I will ensure that my soul will rise to heaven.

The same holds true for the religion of climate science. Uncertainty in the data/models/predictions is replaced with concrete convictions that are already aligned with an existing and popular moral code. Then it becomes fantastically easy to garner support for policy that has a particular moral agenda, in this case the rejection of a world economy based upon carbon (i.e. the burning of fossil fuels).

I am an artist. I am OK with the fact I have no idea what will happen to my consciousness after I die. I assume it will cease to exist, just as I have no recollection any life prior to my birth. That's fine. I am OK with the idea that the earth is changing in ways that may change the way we humans live. Believing that doesn't stop me from trying to be the best person I can, nor does it deter me from trying to maintain a very simple lifestyle, with as minimal an impact as I can. I am fortunate to have a decent job, generous landlords, a beautiful fiance, and good health. We use our car very infrequently, eat almost exclusively local foods, and try to disdain the material life.

I don't need certainty about the demise of the planet to support my belief I should have as minimal an impact as possible, just as I don't need the certainty of going to hell for murdering someone to know that it would be a very bad thing to kill someone.

Try embracing uncertainty for a day or two. See how it feels. I think you might like it.

Uncertainty

2009-12-06T09:49:00.000-05:00

How do you feel about uncertainty? Are you comfortable with it? Or not?

Had some great conversations last night at a neighbor's "breakfast for dinner potluck".

Judith Leemann's newsest sculpture

2009-11-13T17:17:00.001-05:00

Judith Leemann's newsest sculpture
Originally uploaded by hincman

Matthew Hincman

Laura Brown and I working on a travel program to rebuild and paint a ceiling and roof structure from the Gwozdziec Synagogue

2009-11-13T12:18:00.001-05:00

Laura & Rick Brown's Handshouse Studio are preparing to make a replica of an extraordinary roof structure from the lost Gwozdziec Synagogue. In the first part of the Summer of 2010, they'll be making the timber structure, and then in August the interior will be completely polychromed. This will happen at the Sanok Ethnographic Park (skansen) in Sanok, South Eastern Poland, and be installed in the soon to be built Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warszawa.

Check out the other work they have done surrounding the lost historic wooden synagogues of Poland here.

MassArt Senior Seminar talk: Self-Employed Finance Worksheet

2009-11-11T16:08:00.000-05:00

Hey there senior seminar folks! Janna, Janet, and Judy have asked me to come in to talk to you about being self-employed, and how to run a business. It's something I did for while before I began teaching full-time at MassArt. I kinda geeked out on making excel spreadsheets, and I have made a special one for you! I will go over it in class Monday afternoon, but I wanted to give you a heads up about where you could look at this thing, AND where you could download it so you can use it either in MicroSoft Excel, OpenOffice, or on Google Docs.

Here's where you can get it.

See you Monday!

love matthew

Images for my presentation tomorrow

2009-10-28T00:27:00.001-04:00

Hincman_01_ActonBench.jpg
Originally uploaded by hincman

I'm on a panel discussion about temporary public art tomorrow. Here are the ten images I am using.I am going to focus on how the high craft and materiality of my projects are integral to how they are read. The objects are sculptures, and also "real" objects.

Panel Discussion on Public Art tomorrow!

2009-10-28T00:19:00.000-04:00

I am participating in a panel discussion sponsored by NEFA at the Cambridge Multi-Cultural Arts Center in Cambridge, Mass tomorrow, Wednesday, October 28, 2009, at Noon to 1:30 PMLink to NEFA.

token dispersal 9 October 2009 has begun

2009-10-09T11:42:00.001-04:00

token dispersal 9 October 2009 has begun
Originally uploaded by hincman

Matthew Hincman

Post about the Coins on NPR's Planet Money Blog

2009-10-06T11:02:00.000-04:00

I met David Kestenbaum about a week ago in Maine. He posted a short article about the "Pomme de Terre, Pomme en l'Air" coin project I have been working on.

visiting the coast of Maine. Coins will begin being distributed again on Friday!

2009-10-06T09:15:00.001-04:00

visiting the coast of Maine. Coins will begin being distributed again on Friday!
Originally uploaded by hincman

Matthew Hincman

1st drop at s. Huntington and centre in JP.

2009-09-15T13:27:00.000-04:00

1st drop at s. Huntington and centre in JP.
Originally uploaded by hincman

Matthew Hincman

Pomme de Terre, Pomme en l'Air

2009-09-15T10:44:00.000-04:00

Pomme de Terre, Pomme en l'Air
Originally uploaded by hincman

Today I am beginning to distribute my Pomme de Terre, Pomme en l'Air coins, loosely based on mid-19th century Hard Times Tokens. Look for them on the streets of Boston. I will twitter along my route as I drop them. I minted 1200 copper, and 50 silver coins. I haven't a plan for the silver yet. I hope to distribute all the copper coins by the end of the year. Stay tuned....

Roger Pielke Jr.'s Blog: 1,264 to 1

2009-08-13T13:38:00.000-04:00

Roger Pielke Jr.'s Blog: 1,264 to 1

I often read Roger's Blog. He is level headed, and thoughtful. Check out this recent post.

Bench is Back!

2009-07-28T10:11:00.001-04:00

Bench is Back!
Originally uploaded by hincman

Thanks to Walter, Paul, Fran, Bernie Lynch (head of park facilities),
and Commissioner Toni Pollack!!

Matthew Hincman

Rob Duarte's Class at UCSD

2009-07-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

Some amazing engineering and kineticism!

Local (Boston) Food Sources

2009-02-23T18:20:00.000-05:00

I added a new link section to the right. It includes CSAs that I have been a part of, or am a part of. We eat almost exclusively local. Right now we are part of the Enterprise Produce Winter CSA that brings mostly organic produce from only east coast sources. Yes, some are coming from Florida, but we are still getting local onions and apples. This one runs through May, and then we'll hopefully start to get some things growing here! I have a cold-frame I built, and I can't wait to use it!

Steve Garfield's interview about the JP Bench

2009-02-23T17:50:00.000-05:00

This was made way back in 2006 when the bench was just re-installed by the City. Steve just noticed it wasn't on YouTube, and posted it, and then alerted me about it. Thanks Steve!

Great Spirit Squirrel

2008-12-07T10:41:00.001-05:00

Great Spirit Squirrel
Originally uploaded by hincman

Matthew Hincman

MassArt Halloween Iron Pour 2008, Boston, MA

2008-10-25T17:19:00.001-04:00

MassArt Iron Pour 2008, Boston, MA
Originally uploaded by patodea

Pat O'dea took this photo of molen iron hitting the "stump" - a 28" diameter chunk of tree soaked with a hose so that when the 3000˚ iron hits it, it'll just jump right back up in a million little sparks. It's like you are in the center of an exploding firework. Click on the photo to see the rest of Pat's photos from the night.

I am the faculty advisor for the students who build and operate the iron furnaces. This event happened last night, and couldn't have been done without the help of Marjee Levine! Yay Marjee! Marjee will be teaching an evening course next semester, Wednesdays, 6 - 10 PM on iron cupola (a small blast furnace) design, construction, and operation. Sign Up!!

The students, led by Shayla MacDonald are:

Kim Ayotte
Nat Bearg
John Booth
Andy Campbell
Stephen Coutts
Nick Farnham
Danielle Fearon
Jonathan Koppel
Marjee Levine
Alaina Mahoney
Lauren McAvoy
Casey Riley - BBQ Master
Lidija Ristic
Kaete Ritter
Hannah Sanders
Stephanie Smiszek
Lindsay Stockbridge
Tom Ward
Bret Woodward

I apologize if I missed anyone! Thanks for a great event!

A great wine $7.50 at Blanchards

2008-09-28T20:58:00.001-04:00

A great wine $7.50 at Blanchards
Originally uploaded by hincman

Matthew Hincman

Gabriel

2008-08-30T14:28:00.001-04:00

Gabriel
Originally uploaded by hincman

This was a proposal I submitted for the Inaugural Sculpture Exhibition on the brand spanking new Rose Kennedy Greenway. It will remain just a proposal for now.

One of ten sculptural panels installed at the Haley School

2008-07-24T13:10:00.001-04:00

Ant riding a bird
Originally uploaded by hincman

On Tuesday I was present for the delivery and installation of a one hundred foot long steel fence designed and fabricated by my Fall 2007 Public Art class from MassArt. The installation went off without a hitch, and it looks great! The students in the class were:

John Booth
John Cameron
Andy Campbell
Max Clayton
Kyle Johns
Lukas Kliç
Jon Koppel
Mark Leahy
Conor Maguire
David Olsen (teaching assistant)
Anna Parker
Kaete Ritter
Margaux Rust
Claudia Sanderson
Lily Thorne

Our cat Arturo

2008-07-23T22:30:00.001-04:00

Our cat Arturo
Originally uploaded by hincman

Arturo is the best cat in the world!

I added a cedilla to the "c" in my last name

2008-06-26T17:13:00.000-04:00

OK, so you can see it in the blog title, that there is a funny little smudge under the C. It's a cedilla. And it lets people know that it is an /s/ sound (soft), as opposed to a /k/ sound (hard).

installation shot from En Mass at Boston Sculptors

2008-06-26T17:09:00.001-04:00

Hincman_MCC_001_installation.jpg
Originally uploaded by hincman

Here's an overall shot of the installation (or collection of objects) I had installed at the Boston Sculptors Gallery for the exhibition En Mass: Award winning Massachusetts Sculptors. I was one of five exhibiting sculptors/installation artists who received grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council in 2007. Also exhibiting in the show were: Alan Colby, Peggy Diggs, Ariel Kotker and Nick Rodrigues.

Zipline in New Hampshire

2007-10-15T14:32:00.001-04:00

A great time in Lincoln

Sierra Sunset

2007-10-01T22:06:00.001-04:00

these are real colors
Originally uploaded by hincman

This is an untouched photo from McLure Meadow along the John Muir Trail in Kings Canyon National Park in California. Check out the rest of my pictures from the hike Elena and I took with her brother Evan and his girlfriend Deb.

hat collection

2007-03-17T18:30:00.001-04:00

Click to Play

my hat collection (most of it).

Selections '07 in the New England Journal of Aesthetic Research

2007-03-16T12:31:00.000-04:00

Greg Cook posted this about the Selections '07 show that just closed at MassArt last week.

The Kiss

2007-02-04T19:56:00.000-05:00

the_kiss_5.jpg
Originally uploaded by hincman.

I posted a bunch of portfolio images - this is the newest work. I made it last week. Those are two of my students, Blake and Jen.

US Population exhales over 10 million tons of carbon yearly!

2007-02-04T14:04:00.000-05:00

The link will bring you to research placing the average output of carbon per breath at .010 grams. Simple multiplication at 6 breaths per minute, times 60 minutes, times 24 hours, times 365 days = 31,536grams (69.5 pounds) of carbon. Multiply this by the US population (http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html): 301,099,804 and then divide by 2000# and you get the 10 million ton figure.

The entire world population exhales approximately 228 million tons of carbon yearly based on these calculations. It would be great if someone could corroborate or refute this.

thanks!

The Bench Gets on the Phoenix Best Art of 2006 Listing

2006-12-25T13:04:00.000-05:00

The December 19, 2006 Phoenix has a top 10 list of the best Art for the year 2006. My JP Bench made it on the list!

JP Bench on a Japanese Blog

2006-10-29T13:41:00.001-05:00

kinda cool

Jamaica Pond Bench makes it's exit

2006-10-22T13:13:00.000-04:00

bench removal
Originally uploaded by hincman.

On Sunday Morning, October 15th, Paul Meneses, Bradford Holland & I removed the bench from City property. I had been given permission to re-install the bench (after the original 10 day guerilla installation) through the JP Open studios. The time was up, and the bench has now moved back to my studio. Click on the photo to see images of the bench's life at the pond.

Thanks to everyone for their support of this project!!

Jamaica Pond Bench on the web

2006-09-25T21:51:00.000-04:00

Here's a Doctor & Photographer that shot an image of the Jamaica Pond Bench on Saturday the 23rd of September.

Johnny G on Drink Boston!

2006-09-18T20:14:00.000-04:00

By far the best bartender and host in our fair City gets some well deserved praise!

Well done Johnny!

Pancake Flipping on the Fundy Coast

2006-09-12T14:54:00.000-04:00

"Cloud Hands" on YouTube!

2006-09-10T11:05:00.000-04:00

Hiking Mt. Washington the hard way

2006-09-03T12:02:00.000-04:00

Looking Back
Originally uploaded by hincman.

Start at Dolly Copp campground on Rt. 16, hike up Mt. Madison, then over Adams, Jefferson, Clay, & finally Mt. Washington. Then decend on wobbly legs via Tuckerman's ravine for a 16 +/- mile, 11 hour hike. A beautiful and perfect day!

"Public Art Benched in Jamaica Plain" by Andrea Shea on WBUR

2006-08-30T09:54:00.000-04:00

Here's a link to a Real Media file of the piece produced by Andrea Shea for WBUR, which aired this morning on WBUR's Morning Edition.

Enjoy!

Radio Spot about the Bench on WBUR!!

2006-08-29T18:51:00.000-04:00

Andrea Shea-Ryan interviewed me for a piece that will air on WBUR tomorrow (that's Wed, August 29!) on Morning Edition. The piece will air either at 5:50am & 7:50am OR 6:50am & 8:50am, depending on the news in the morning. It should also be available online after the original airing, and I'll keep you posted!

Elena & I in the woods

2006-08-20T17:02:00.000-04:00

P8050043
Originally uploaded by elenabelle1.

Check out all of Elena's photos from our trip!

crazy stormy sunset

2006-08-17T09:12:00.000-04:00

crazy stormy sunset
Originally uploaded by hincman.

Sunset over Cape Chignecto Provincial Park, Nova Scotia. Elena & I went there camping for 4 days, hiking 30 miles around the peninsula that sticks out into the Bay of Fundy.

JP Bench on Rocketboom

2006-08-01T11:03:00.001-04:00

Interview by Steve Garfield is highlighted on Rocketboom.com

JP Bench on Rocketboom

2006-08-01T11:03:00.000-04:00

Interview by Steve Garfield is highlighted on Rocketboom.com

Bench Interview by Steve Garfield

2006-07-28T10:11:00.000-04:00

Here's the interview I did with Steve Garfield for New England Stories and Rocketboom!

Does my voice really sound like that? :)

12 million bloggers, 54 million strong audience, but...

2006-07-21T17:15:00.000-04:00

Can blogging replace mainsteam media?

hmm....

lavender panna cotta

2006-07-21T16:38:00.000-04:00

lavender panna cotta
Originally uploaded by hincman.

About a week ago, my girlfriend Elena and I made Lavender Panna Cotta. Holy crap was it great. contact me if you want the recipe. I used tha panna cotta recipe in Cook's Illustrated, Jan 2000, but infused the cream with lavender flowers picked in my friend Allison Cook's backyard in JP.

Great Jamaica Pond Spirit Squirrel

2006-07-18T22:29:00.000-04:00

IMG_4493
Originally uploaded by hincman.

Check him out! Any other sitings?

2006-07-18T10:39:00.000-04:00

2006-07-18T10:29:00.000-04:00

I am not afraid

2006-07-18T10:14:00.000-04:00

I sent this out in March via my eMail address, and got tons of responses. I thought I'd post it here, with the compiled list. I hope people add to it.

March 30, 2006

I AM NOT AFRAID

I was just thinking about how fear affects us, and how there are a lot of things in the world that I am supposed to be afraid of, but I'm not. I was thinking about how I make decisions based upon the fact I am not afraid - even if someone tells me I should be.

A student of mine was in a major bike accident last year. Two days ago, I saw him zipping his bike in and around rush-hour traffic with his helmet firmly strapped to his backpack. I called him moments later on his cell phone (I knew he'd be home) and told him how happy I was he was protecting the contents of his bag with his helmet. I was once also hit by a car while riding my bike. I do not own a bike helmet. I am not afraid to ride my bike without one. Among all the things I should be afraid of, that fear is perhaps the most reasonable.

The List as of

April 30, 2006

love
heights
walking at night in the woods
scary movies
riding my bike without a helmet
the middle east
homosexuals
heights
terrorists
the information technology age
airplanes/helicopters (although the noise they make scares the living daylights out of me.)
the dance floor
airports
therapy
showing my work
honesty
beets
being far from home
parenting
my son
death
life
risk
replying belated
being lost
brutal truths
awkward silences
solitude
heights/vertigo
speed
turbulence
lightning
spicy, sour, or bitter food
ugliness
snakes
aliens
aging
death/dead things
blood
needles
doctors/hospitals
childbirth
new technology/ideas/opinions
art!
Traveling alone
Change (not the money)
Being a single woman in a society that places more value on married couples and family
Starting new
Foreigners
the truth,
the present moment,
fundamental Christians,
growing old,
dying,
and being wrong.
using knives, forks and spoons that have fallen on the floor
straight people
eating new foods
crossing the street in the middle of the block
new ideas
My subconscious.
Aids
Strangers
Facing the music
Being broke
My health
Guilty people
rain
government
definitely riding my bike w/out a helmet
nuclear war
cancer
walking down an empty street at night
speaking in front of a large group of people
debt
DRIVING WITHOUT MY SEATBELT ON
DEAD
POLICE
DOGS
GETTING LOST SOMEWHERE FAR FROM HOME
SPEAKING LOUD
AIDS
CANCER
TECHNOLOGY
THINKING
METTING NEW PEOPLE
DARKENESS / WALKING AT NIGHT
TRAVELING
MISTAKES
BLOOD
HUMANITY
THE SEA
DESERT
germs
biking in traffic (WITH helmet)
ignoring norms/expectations/traditions
spiders
weird or new foods
becoming fat
Walking around Boston
Swimming
Sleeping with my door open
Airplanes
opening my mouth and letting whatever is there just fall out
the dark
a challenge
public speaking
bad weather
disabled people
True Love
riding without a seatbelt in a car
-- walking home alone late at night in nyc
-- eating foods that have passed their expiration date (as long as they don't taste/smell spoiled)
-- using a public restroom
-- further to the above, sitting on a toilet seat in a public restroom
-- going throughout life NEVER using that stupid antibacterial stuff for my hands
-- mice, rats, bugs, cockroaches, bees, worms, slugs, snakes, etc. etc. etc.
-- traveling alone anywhere in the world
a blank canvas
very deep water
dark caves
ideas I don't understand
fresh cougar tracks
being alone
electricity
delivering a lamb
admitting I am powerless over some things
affection
running alone at night.
germs.
bird flu
trans-atlantic plane crash
european budget airline plane crash
exploding double-decker bus
exploding trains
avalanches
falling rocks
language barriers
love
anthropomorphism
walking alone at night
perverts
kissing morning-breath lips
dirt
chainsaws
art that might fall apart
getting old
Iran
Iraq
immigrants
homosexuals
terrorists
spiders
snowstorms
thunderstorms
travelling
flying in airplanes
being alone at night (in a house)
the dark
the underneath of my bed
swimming in deep water
psychics
riding my bike alone at night
strangers
germs
my nipples showing through my shirt
my bra showing through my shirt
not shaving
new york city
moving/changing cities
mice
priests/the clergy
making the wrong choice
what's in my closet
what my grandparents think (of my choices)
what my parents think (of my choices)
what your parents think (of my choices)
marijuana
alcohol
monsters
aging
ghosts
relationships
I am not afraid of strangers
I am not afraid of the dark
I am not afraid of people of color
I am not afraid of men
I am not afraid of getting old
I am not afraid of snakes, or sharks or bees
I am not afraid of flying or driving in a car
I am not afraid of immigrants
I am not afraid of germs
I am not afraid of loving
snakes
plane crashes
tornados
dirt
god
the forest
the dark
Death/dying
Other cultures/religions
Snakes
Living in the city
Being alone
The future
Economic insecurity
Change
Black People
Provacative Thought and Conversation
Motorcycles
Powerful people
Tofu
dying in a plane crash
gutting animals
looking fat
having armpit stains
(also terrorsits, spiders and homeosexuals)
getting lost
speaking in public
having a family member/close friend die
rats, snakes and worms
driving a car
the sun
fumes
power tools
getting robbed
Life
making things with my hands
confrontation
getting rid of things
africa
culture-shock
snakes
walking home alone in the dark
people different than me
starting something new
body movement
being a single mom
public speaking
swimming in the ocean
driving fast
figuring out how to get someplace without map (i.e. getting lost)
Failing
Not afraid of chocolat or tofu,
long underwear or none,
showering with others,
dust in the house,
owning a ridiculous-looking car,
making sculpture in the way that suits me most and most of the world doesn't giveashit.
flying
heights
gaining weight
my father
dealing with horrible customers
meeting new people who might judge me
hipsters
mice
my boss
looking ugly
getting pregnant
the dentist
cavities
people disagreeing with me
climbing the tallest of tall trees or ladders that shouldn't be climbed
consuming expired eggs
snakes, NOT spiders
standing out in cheyenne wyoming
Poverty
Molten metal splash
radical thinkers
chocolate
making amends
going to therapy
crying
surfing waves (up to 4ft)
windsurfing
paddling outrigger canoe
speaking in public
groups
my family
my friends
helicopters circling my house all night
working on the 45th floor in one of the tallest buildings in Los Angeles
driving in boston
and when I really get honest- living
dogs
being happy
failure
relationships
friendship
vulnerability
water
honesty
doctors
silence
traveling through poor lands
hard work
getting dirty
being alone
sacrifice for worthy causes
of sustaining physical injury
I am not afraid of flying
riding a bike without a helmet (in the country -even tho I broke my collar bone)
homosexuals or lesbians or cross dressers, whatever
subways, MTAs, BARTS, etc.
avian flu
mad cow's disease
swimming in the ocean
roses
Rome
London
Paris
Tehran
mice
babies
lightning
fire
heights
the ocean
chain saw
h5n1
tree climbing with no rope
not having health insurance
god or a lack there of
debt
Global Warming 2000's / Global Cooling 1970's
the 2nd Amendment
Bird Flu, Mad Cow, Monkey Pox
going bankrupt
home birth
Democrats
Getting into a small airplane piloted by someone i hardly know
small spiders
new relationships
technology
the I.R.S.
my brother
eating too much cheese
mad cow disease
getting old
i'm not afraid of going to an interview with a black eye
love

Global Warming

2006-07-18T10:00:00.000-04:00

So how come I have yet to hear how much the heat produced by automobiles may (or may not) affect the planet? I mean, in March 2005, US Gasoline consumption was 320,500,000 gallons PER DAY! At 125,000 Btu per gallon, that's 14,622,812,500,000,000 Btus per year! By my calculations, which could very well be wrong, that is as more energy produced EACH DAY by gasoline consumption, than the Seabrook Nuclear Powerplant produces in one year! And that's US consumption only.

Any thoughts?