Contrary to what you may have been hearing lately, things are not spinning out of control in Detroit.
In fact if you're over on Wayne State University's campus things are spinning just fine. On top of the Engineering and Technology building on Warren near the Lodge a wind turbine is generating renewable electricity. I always want to call it a windmill, but I guess it's technically a wind turbine.
Keeps It Going
The wind turbine along with a solar panel keeps the computer lab humming using the electricity they create. I would go into an explanation as to how all this works, but WSU already has it covered, click here for the link to their page that explains the process. I will say it's pretty cool that the system uses regular grid power as a backup. Video
Check out the short video shot in the spring to see the wind turbine in action.
I finished my fall semester class at Wayne State University in Detroit, and as I was leaving the School of Education Building the sound of gurgling water and an odd pumping noise caught my attention. I stopped, and it was the sculpture titled Reflection. The noise was the water pumping through the unique bronze piece of art.
A Pause
Closer inspection of the name plate revealed that Joseph Pozcinski created the sculpture and that it was a gift to the College of Education. It is aptly titled because "reflect" is exactly what I did for several minutes before deciding to shoot a video using the camera on my phone. I don't know if it was the relief of finishing the class, the quiet of the empty building or a combination of both, but it was nice to simply look at the water bubble up through the artwork.
Yep, it's that time again. For many students the return to school happens after the Labor Day holiday. Not so for Detroit Video Daily. As a few of the faithful readers will remember, from posts about a statue or a building on the campus of Wayne State University, DVD is a student. And today was the first day of class for me. Even though I love school, I also love this view of the Fisher Building because it means my class is over, and I'm on my to Parking Lot 22 to pick up the buggy and head home for the evening!
Lots of signs. Fisher Building in the distance.
And to all the other WSU students, good luck to a successful semester!
Life as a track race, a perspective on the city of Detroit, and an emotional tale of a war veteran were some of the themes at an outdoor poetry performance Wednesday afternoon. The mid-day poetry readings were an added benefit of visiting the Wayne State University Farmers Market. The InsideOut Literary Arts Project presented three poets who gave performances outside of the Farmers Market on Cass Ave. on a beautiful, sunny afternoon.
Crowd starting to form at the poetry reading
Student
As a student at Wayne State I received an email announcing that the Farmers Market would continue its weekly sale (every Wednesday through Oct. 31) from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. I've never gone to the market before, and will admit the poetry performance was a draw for me. DVD likes free art events, and poetry live on the city streets? -- Well, I just knew it would be good, and as you see in the videos at the end of this post, I wasn't disappointed. Here is a link with information about the market.
Poets Rising Above
Poets at the event
There was a construction project going on down the street that you can hear in the background on one of the videos, and the construction work did limit me from posting any other videos. However, all three poets, Joseph Terrell Verge, Justin Rogers and Chace "Mic Write" Morris did a great job rising above the noise and delivering poems with intellectual depth and emotion.
InsideOut
The organization InsideOut is one that I'm really not familiar with, but after checking out their website, I learned about some of the great things they are doing to promote the literary arts in the city. This is an excellent example of something good happening in our schools, when all too often, all we hear is the negative stories.
WSU Farmers Market
The Market
Not to be overshadowed by the poetry, the Farmers Market was great too! The market is a project of SEED Wayne, and it's another positive force in the city. Plenty of fresh produce grown locally and unique items also. For example, the Vang Family Farm booth had squash blossoms that you can add to salads or stuff with cheese and fry. Other vendors had more traditional produce, such as corn, squash, and tomatoes. Fresh fruit was also for sale at reasonable prices. There were even prepared dishes available, and a few people were enjoying a fresh lunch outside. If you have time during the day on Wednesdays, go check out the market, you won't be disappointed!
There's also free 15 min. parking, if you don't ride your bike :)
Unique and traditional fresh produce
Have you gone to the Farmers Market? Or are you familiar with the InsideOut Literary Arts Project? Leave a comment and let me know what your experience was like.
