Welcome to my documentary website home page. Here is a brief (ok, well sort of brief) outline of what you're going throughout the website.

 

This is the research paper for the documentary unit. It is the basis for my website, audio documentary, and book (the photos of which are on the website under "Photos"
The assignment for the paper was to find a story in your community to tell. The story i found was that of Peninsula School in Menlo Park (where i attended from preschool too 8th grade). It evolved into the essential question of the paper: What is the condition of hippie culture.
I picked this question because i am what some might consider a second generation hippie (hard to see through my shaved head, though i assure you that in the past i have had a serious " jew fro"). The conclusions i make are not the ones i was hoping to be able to make. They are based on the facts as i see them. Because hippie culture is such a fluid thing, the condition of hippie culture can be interpreted in many ways.


Baring that in mind, i hope you enjoy discovering the condition of hippie culture as i see it.

 

The Audio Documentary, is the ideas and essence of the research paper, with pictures and sound. The words are different, but the ideas are the same. You will here the interviewees speak, and listen to me talk ( a highly undervalued experience). You may notice, that you have never seen a slideshow player that looks like this. It's because you haven't. The player was coded in Web Audio Class. That is part of the assignment. We recorded and edited all the audio that went into this using Pro Tools.

 

The Article was made in Adobe Indesign. It contains photos that i shot and the edited with photoshop. (color and contrast, not content) The illustration on the title page was made with Adobe Illustrator.

 

I would like to acknowledge some people who were key to making the various parts of this project.

I would like to thank Tanya Harjan, Josh Kelly, and Ken Siegel for being excellent interviewees.

I would also like to thank Mr. Jack, Ms. Pedinotti, and Mr. Florendo for not only putting up with me but also for teaching me all the stuff i would need to know to make this project. Without your help i would have an empty book, a terrible essay and a slideshow that didn't work.

 

I hope everyone enjoys seeing this as much as i enjoyed making it.

-Nathaniel Siegel

Tanya Harjan

Tanya

Tanya describes herself as a "hippie kid". She grew up in Menlo Park California, and made frequent visits to Haight Street. She attended neither Woodstock or Altamont. She has stayed true to her hippie values. She currently lives in San Francisco.

Josh Kelly

Josh

Josh Kelly is a "Urban Farmer". He is a graduated from Peninsula school in 2006. He owns 6 chickens now, and has an extensive vegetable garden. He farms both because he enjoys it and is interested in sustainability. He does not consider himself a hippie, but would not be upset to have that title placed on him. He Lives in Palo Alto California and attends Henry M. Gunn High School.

Nathaniel Siegel (Documentarian)

Nathaniel

Nathaniel Siegel, likes to think he is a closet hippie. He is the son of a "sold out" hippie. He Graduated from Peninsula School in 2006, and is currently in his first year at Freestyle Academy of Communication Arts and Technology. He is starting a vegetable garden, however it is only 3 cubic feet, so he can't really claim it is helping him become sustainable. The Elephant is not dead, it is lying down.