Black Rock Station Posted on January 11, 2023 (January 11, 2023) by Wes Modes A mysterious rural train station appearing in the Black Rock Desert has become unstuck in time, haunted by ghost trains heard but not seen….
A Secret History of American River People Posted on November 16, 2019 (January 11, 2023) by Wes Modes A project to build a collection of personal stories of people who live and work on the river from the deck of a recreated mid-century shantyboat over a series of epic river voyages…
Playing Bear Creek Posted on January 28, 2014 (December 8, 2022) by Wes Modes Bear Creek is interactive fiction, a coming-of-age story from a child’s point-of-view. Looking back, it was that summer, or maybe just that one day that changed everything. Play online or with an IF player, includes period-accurate musical accompaniment….
Co-related Space Posted on November 9, 2019 (November 18, 2019) by Wes Modes Co-related Space is a digitally-enhanced environment that immerses participants not in digital space, but embodied space, highlighting the spatiality of participants, their behavior and their relationships with others within that space….
Free Skool Santa Cruz Posted on November 9, 2019 (October 10, 2020) by Wes Modes A radically different approach to living and learning, Free Skool Santa Cruz is a grassroots educational project beyond institutional control. It is an opportunity to learn from each other and share what we know, to foster communities of mutual support and autonomy….
Unavoidable Disaster Posted on October 9, 2020 (March 12, 2023) by Wes Modes Unavoidable Disaster is a monthly eclectic, punky webzine, a collaborative endeavor whose assembly is part art practice, part therapy, and part pure lark….
Night Ride Radio Show Posted on November 9, 2019 (September 15, 2021) by Wes Modes I produced a radio show on Santa Cruz public radio station KUSP and pirate Free Radio Santa Cruz for six years between 2001 to 2007, over 120 volumes amounting to…
FOMOphobia Posted on November 7, 2019 (October 10, 2020) by Wes Modes An Insistent Social Networking Anxiety Monitor FOMOphobia is a network-connected installation that immerses the viewer in a visualization of the artist’s real-time social networking anxiety, sounding alarms and keeping count…
Shantyboat Dotty Posted on November 9, 2019 (October 10, 2020) by Wes Modes I began building a homemade shantyboat — that is, a rustic houseboat — from scratch, recording every step in the build process….
Inspiration Comes in the Night Posted on November 18, 2019 (November 19, 2019) by Wes Modes A weblog about art, technology, and the creative process…
SubRosa Community Space Posted on November 9, 2019 (November 16, 2019) by Wes Modes An anarchist and radical space offering anarchist books and literature, coffee and tea, shows, art, and a garden courtyard social space….
Punk Rafting Posted on November 9, 2019 (November 11, 2019) by Wes Modes A few of us set out on a punk rafting journey, building a raft out of found and scavenged materials and floating for a week, Huck Finn-style, on one of the largest fastest rivers on the continent. When we survived, we did it year after year on different rivers….
Union of Benevolent Electrical Workers Posted on November 9, 2019 (November 16, 2019) by Wes Modes Tech Community: UBEW provides mutual support to anti-authoritarian groups making radical social change through direct action, community involvement, and education….
Santa Cruz Trash Orchestra Posted on November 9, 2019 (November 16, 2019) by Wes Modes Trash Orchestra is a marching percussion band – a bone-shaking recycled orchestra – appearing at protests and celebrations, where a ruckus needs to be made….
Santa Cruz Guerilla Drive-In Posted on November 9, 2019 (November 16, 2019) by Wes Modes An outdoor movie theater under the stars that springs up in the fields and industrial wastelands. Showing great movies, bringing a broad community together, and reclaiming public space….
Burning Man Posted on November 9, 2019 (October 10, 2020) by Wes Modes Adventure: In 1993 when I first when to Burning Man, it was a few thousand crazy artists together for an apocalyptic weekend of camping in the desert. Since then, I’ve seen it grow from 2000 people to 50 thousand….
Personal Stories Series Posted on November 9, 2019 (November 16, 2019) by Wes Modes The Personal Stories Series consists primarily of glass-fronted assemblage pieces made from found materials, both man-made and natural. This series reflects my interest in narrative and personal story. Half way between abstract…
The Amazing Decision Maker Posted on November 27, 2019 (December 8, 2019) by Wes Modes Reveal your secret plans! uncover your hidden agendas! It’s science and magic combined!…
Strange Machina Series Posted on November 9, 2019 (October 10, 2020) by Wes Modes The Strange Machina Series consists of functional sculptures that appear to have some mysterious industrial purpose, but are intended only to intrigue and amuse. This series brings to mind old patent drawings…
Last Night DIY Parade Posted on November 9, 2019 (November 16, 2019) by Wes Modes Last Night is a decentralized, collective, open, public New Year’s Eve celebration in Santa Cruz, California. Last Night is a completely organic event, organized and put on at a grassroots-level. No city-sponsorship. No corporate donors….
