FINALE - COMPLETED!

Hello, and thanks for tuning in.

I just finished, creating over 400 ITSOK's, and breaking over 1,000 blades.

You can see hour by hour posts here:
http://itsok24hrs.blogspot.com/

& pick up the special edition here:
http://multipolarprojects.com/

Goodnight,
Sighn

1,000 Video -- An interlude

Installation of 1,000 ITSOK's at Sighn's solo show "I Don't Know Any Other Way To Say This"

Summer 2008.

Music by St. Catherine's Home for Lazy Infants
(http://www.myspace.com/lazyinfants)

Hour 22

2. hours. left.

just about to break 400.

Hour 21

recharging with a muffin.

Hour 20

Not only is he still cutting strong, but he's editing video during his breaks. Sighn is a machine. A tired, tired machine. Plus, he's got so much saw dust in his curly fro it looks like he's wearing a powdered wig.
-fritz

Hour 19

Rise & Shine. 15 more pipping hot ITSOK's.

Hour 18 DAY LIGHT

What an amazing sight to see daylight coming through the windows. (I'm pretty sure that's what I see, considering my glasses are completely covered in sawdust)

Almost there! just 6 more hours.

Hour 17

breezed passed 300. what? what?

no seriously. i couldn't hear what you said...17 hours straight scroll sawing, and can't hear anything.

Hour 16

17, up in numbers! booyah!

A heat wrap on wrist to keep things moving.

Late night birds Joseph & Cody stopped by to keep me company. A pleasant surprise.

Hour 15

15 is the magic number. 15 ITSOK's on the 15th hour.

woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooah.

for this break, i'm going to just sit here and stare at the screen for 5 minutes.


aaaaand done.

Hour 14

Got my groove back. The night should fly by...

Hour 13

Oh man. Slowing down...but as Quigley said (the only one left standing, as everyone else went to beddy bye) 'you can't let down your blog!'

16. up 1 from last hour. Starting to see things, though.

Hour 12

HALF WAY! And well over 200, I think around 240. Only 15 this hour. Energy drink made me a bit distracted...So it's time to get back in the game.

No. sleep. 'till brooklyn.

Hour 11

Almost halfway there...17 this hour, down from 20 last hour.

Everyone is going home. Only 5 people left...So I popped my first energy drinks.

Let's get this party started.

Hour 10

Wow, that last post surrounded by people, Oscar was pulling on my curls, going "sprong!"

Back up to 20 this hour. Energy is really really good.
Haven't even taped into one of those energy drinks, I'll see how long I can hold off from that.

Alright, back to it!

Hour 9

So, the mosquitos are really bad outside, so there are about 30 people jammed inside my studio...OSCAR IS TAKING MY PHOTO WHILE I TYPE THIS.

-"I wonder if those curls are real"
--Fotoflow


Oh, and I cut 19 this hour.

There is a party going on...

Hour 8

Only 17 this hour...but feeling good. loads of people enjoying some scroll sawing and neo country action

Hour 7

Some raw footage at what is happening now at the Muti Polar Headquarters...Chris Kerr's Neo Country. 

Super update w/ Guest Blogger Pajon

So far so good at the 6 hour mark...cutcutcutcutcutcutcutcutcutcutcutcutcut...break...cutcutcutcut...break...cutcutcutcutcutcutcut break

prison style rations


When asked who would have thought bamboo would have been so hard Sighnn quietly replied with a grimace Pandas Mike...Pandas.  

Hour 4

The 3 o'clock slump. Only 19 cut.

JB has to take off, but Chris & Deedee just arrived, and they are setting up Neo Country again, for viewing hours 6-9 in the front room. H. Mathis has been working on that little project, called the Believe Inn (believeinn.org).

They are currently inflating an 8 foot metallic beer can in the front yard...

Hour 3

Well, as I mentioned last hour, the bamboo is quite a beast to tangle with. I would put it on par with a hard oak. I've been breaking at least 2 blades on each piece. With that said, the final product is outstanding. I've been lucky enough to have JB help with the post-prep work for the start of this. He showed me a finished one, and it's well worth the headache of a few broken blades. This does keep down the production though, 1st hour -22 , 2cnd hour -21, and this hour -21. Normally I can do a bit more than that...

This 10 minute 'break' works perfectly. It gives me exactly enough time to grab a glass of water, write a post, and go right back to work. I'm sure this key board will be filled with sawdust by days end.

Hour 2

Already starting to feel in my shoulders...1/12 of the way there...

The bamboo is quite a bit tougher than expected. Breaking 1-4 blades on each ITSOK.

HOUR 1

A bit anticlimactic of a start...Good though. Some equipment troubles on 1 saw, but luckily I was able to hop onto the other one, while JB fixed the other. Don't feel any reason for a break, so I'll get back to it!

Raw Feed--Almost There

Almost 11:00. The first of (hopefully) a few raw unedited feeds from the work shop.

Everything is set.

Food. Heatpads for neck, back, wrists. 

2 saws, one for standing, and one for sitting. I'll hop back and forth, both to mix up the monotony, as well as give the machine a break. I don't know if my warranty covers 24 hours straight of operation...

9 gross of blades (1,296 blades total) I normally use about 12 blades for each stack of 20.

1,000 pieces, stickered, drilled, and ready to go in stacks of 20.

24, hour long video tapes, with a camera in the corner to record the entire event.

And last but not least, the custom type for the event. (Which I am going to randomly give out to someone who picks up an ITSOK during the cutathon).

Alright, that's all for now, I'm going to do a few stretches, drink a cup of coffee, and put on my safety goggles. 

Well Wishes

Getting ready for the event, many texts and phone calls wishing me well. Thanks! I still plan to be able to count to 10 on my fingers...

Bamboo Prep Work

JB stopped by for a few days of prep work to get everything done for the 24 hour event. We made short work of the 4"x8" sheets of bamboo, cutting them down to size.
Never, never miss an opportunity to work outside...
Unless it starts to storm out of nowhere, and you have to rush all your tools and wood inside.
All the pieces ready to go. Now all I have to do is cut them out...For 24 hours...

24 Hours Explanation

So...as you've heard, I'll be cutting out ITSOK's for 24 hours straight. I'll be taking a ten minute break before each hour to massage my wrists, and put heat pads on my shoulders & neck. It will also give me a few minutes to post text and (hopefully) images of the progress. A few people have told me that equals 4 hours of breaks, so in reality it's only a 20 hour Cut-A-Thon. I welcome those people to stop by in person around hour 18 or 19. I should be quite tired enough by then to give them a piece of my mind.

 To clear a few things up, I am only going to be cutting the letters on the scroll saw. The prep work before is done, and the prep work after will be completed after the fact. In time trials, I have been able to cut 40 in 72 minutes. However, to keep that 'sprint' pace for a marathon, I don't think is possible. I imagine it will be a quite physically draining process, but I'm up for the challenge. Plus, many friends have said they are going to stop by to cheer me on. I've asked that they quietly do so, as not to startle me, and cut a finger off.

As a standard practice, each piece will be numbered on the back, as part of the edition of 1 million. I will also be signing & numbering each card, as a part of the 24 hour event. I don't have a clear number on how many I will be able to cut out, only time will tell...
Also, as a little added surprise, for anyone who picks up an ITSOK during the 24 Hour Cut-A-Thon, I will randomly draw one person's name out, and send them this custom bamboo type of the event. 

ITSOK -- Original Video

Where it all started.

A quick look at the process of the 'limited' edition of 1 million by Sighn.

Created during November 2007

Footage by C Hiltz at Sighn's Studio in Chicago, Illinois

Additional footage by H Mathis at Exhibitions in London, England & Chicago, Illinois

Original Score recorded by ToothSticks in Dublin, Ireland

Compiled & Edited at the Multi Polar Headquarters in Chicago, Illinois

Voice over by Sighn, as interviewed by Alaska Noyes on November 25, 2007