Open Mic Night Update

We now have more details for the open mic night...

Art Attack-ack-ack-ack, you oughta know by now

When: FRIDAY, MARCH 20 from 7-10 pm
Where: Drawing Room

What: Open Mic, hopefully featuring these bands, with a handful of student performers (please let me know if you can get others!)

1) Moment of Zen (Rock/Alternative): www.myspace.com/momentzen
2) White Star City aka Colleen Napolitano (Acoustic/Folk Rock): www.myspace.com/whitestarcity (Goes to TCNJ and is a graphic design major!)
3) David Sankey (Acoustic/Folk Rock) [TCNJ art major alumni!]
4) Undercover Rabbi (Goes to TCNJ)
5) VultureMoose (Electronica/Casio-Pop): www.myspace.com/vulturemoose (Goes to TCNJ)
6) Dead Bugs (Acoustic/Tape Music): www.myspace.com/skincover
7) Buffalo (Noise Rock/Live Electronics): www.myspace.com/buffalonoise
8) Facundo (8-Bit/Gameboy Pop): www.myspace.com/facundoloop
9) Knights Templar (Post-punk/Shoegaze): www.myspace.com/knightstemplar

spoken word & miscellaneous poetry readings...


plus...

Easel art/graffiti art, Silent Rave (bring your mp3 player and dance to the beat of your own ipod), Ryan Weber's decorate your own sugar cookie.

I think this is it for now, but if someone could make a facebook group, that would help immensely.

One idea for the flyer design was to have text that reads, "art atttack-ack-ack-ack, you oughtta know by now... (senior art students?) open mic night: face rippin' fun", with an image of a chimpanzee ripping through the flyer, wearing a beret and holding an artists' palette- with other text noting the event, that it's in support of the art seniors, the location, date/time and the other activities. If someone could design a flyer, or if anyone has another idea and will want to execute it, please do!


Also, I talked to a senior graphic design student the other day and she was under the impression that we still haven't decided on what mailer idea we liked as a class. Are we set on one/ should someone email professor Kabbash about it?

now presenting...

GALLIMAUFRY: the ten headed monster

Where it's At: Show Themez

1. mixed goods
2. collective composition
3. ten headed monster
4. solid reservations
5. art in the age
6. pieces
7. ten pack

Theme ideas

1: Ninjas (this would, however, entail the catalog be empty.)

3: Bakery themed.

VII: "A House of Pomegranates"

b: "The Humans are Dead"

• "Trepidation and Bumblebee Landscapes"

58: Tetris themed (Frogger is also acceptable)

©: "The Object Lesson"

fünf: portals / wormholes / inter-dimensional space / the multiverse

9: Clue themed

六: something to do with handbaskets

IDEAS!

1. salmagundi: a general mixture; a miscellaneous collection
   
2. farrago: a confused mixture
3. gallimaufry: a confused jumble or medley of things
4. Hodgepodge
5. Mixed Up
6. The Gun Show
7. Famous Last Words: pretty sure this was a show in Philadelphia though.
8. worldly possessions; worldly goods

ideas for thesis show theme

Muse
Portrayal
Simulation
Streak
The goods
Formula A

5 ideas

So I'm not coming up with any great ideas, but I'm going to throw what I have out there. Hopefully some can be tweaked into something better. Hope you guys like!!

1. Okay here is the one I have to suggest because, well I like comics. A ten theme going of the comic the twelve. We could have a real retro comic-esque type feel with us becoming the members of this team. I'm not thinking anything cheesy like what powers we would have, just the idea of a team and the golden age comic visual theme.

2. Going with the theme of there being ten of us I was thinking a Ten commandments theme. Not in a really religious way. Sort of the take that the Ten movie took. I don't know. It could turn into something.

3. Along with the semi-religious theme I came up with a creation idea. Maybe playing off the creation of the world/life and making it connect with our visual creativity and everything.

4. Then I was thinking since our larger theme is science related maybe we can do a Sci-Fi futuresque type theme. I figured since some of our pieces sort of give a sense of that type of thing. Who knows. Maybe something like a robot uprising or something.

5. Lastly, I was thinking something simple like preception. Like visual illusions and such and tying that into the design. Since we are visual people and these are our views.

5 Ideas for Show Theme

All of these ideas have been thought of with various levels of seriousness... and they are not listed in order regarding this at all :)

1) "iCon" - a play on the iWhatevers and icons. (Along with the pun "I con." ha.)

2) I notice that all of us seem to have narrative themes in our work. Is there a way to play on this? Right now I can't find the right word (one that won't sound hokey) but is there a way to play on fables, mythology or other story-telling devices?

3) On that note, "chapters?" (aaahhhh HOKEY!)

4) As I mentioned in class, we could fashion ourselves as the next species to be near extinction.
"protected status genus" or something. Not sure why, but for me this conjures up images of us being crowded off of rapidly melting glaciers and being forced to swim for miles before we can eat a seal again.

6) We could shop terms from a field of study (ie. forensics) and come up with a play on such a term. Here's a website full of forensic words: http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/00206/text_glossary.htm

Open Mike Night Discussion

Hey, if you have ideas to throw out about the open mike night, we should put them all in the comments here, just so we dont have 50 different emails flying around. It's a little more organized this way.

Artist Files Lawsuit Against A.P. Over Obama Image

In addition to recently getting arrested, street artist Shepard Fairey is suing the American Press for using his Obama/"Hope" posters without his permission. Read it if you get the chance!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/arts/design/10fair.html

-Michelle

As I was trailing around the different rooms at P.S.1 I stumbled upon an installation entitled Before and After by a debuting artist named Ana Horvat. To my surprise, when I attempted to engage in some kind of conversation with you guys about the exhibit you didn’t know what I was talking about. It must have been tucked in the west wing. Anyway, on one end of the room there was a three-channel video installation, each video contained documentary plastic surgery procedures. The first one was liposuction, the second one was a nose correction, and the third was a breast augmentation. What made the piece especially interesting and funny was that surgery was being performed, not on real humans, but what looked to be home made plush dolls. The first video installation, on liposuction for example, depicted human hands cutting flesh colored fabric stuffed with poly-fill and proceeded to pull pieces of poly-fill out of what seemed to be a leg. The hands would carefully place the poly-fill to the side as if it were fatty tissue. The breast augmentation and nose correction were done in a similar fashion. In the center of the room, there were four jars containing poly-fill and fabric posing as reminisces of each operation. Each jar contained a label, one reading nose operation another that read cellulite. Opposing the video installations was a wall of before and after shots taken of the plush characters as well as personal responses to the operation. One of the responses went like this:

Nose correction
Mirjana K., 32

Before
Suffering from septum deviation, I always had breathing difficulties and frequent upper respiratory infections. A few years ago, I began to intensively pursue singing-it’s my great love. Unfortunately, a year ago I had to stop because I started loosing my voice due to infections caused by my nose structure. Also, I never liked the shape of my nose, so when the doctor recommended surgery, I said yes – that would kill two birds with one stone.

After
The operation was very painful, and the hematoma and the swelling lasted for a very long time; I didn’t leave the house for a month. The cartilage was removed, so the nose was soft. The nose has been changed, but not enough – it is smaller, but not symmetrical. I still don’t like it. Also, as far as the function is concerned, the operation was a failure. Because the operation was extensive and the scar big, there has been unexpected tissues movement during the healing process. I’ll have to repeat the operation.

Although, it wasn’t the best installation I saw at P.S.1 I thought it was a witty attempt at addressing issues of women and the infatuation to obtain ideal beauty. The before and after reactions to each procedure served as an effective commentary on how patients will endure rather heavy amount of pain and aggression as they try to achieve acceptance from others as well as personal satisfaction. The idea of the procedures being performed on dolls really took me back to childhood playing with dolls and that it perhaps could be posing as a childhood game gone too far. A child experimenting with plastic surgery is funny but also disturbing and adds to the drama of a society obsessed with looking perfect.

Cody & Gino

Gino De Dominicis currently has a striking exhibit through February 9, 2009 at P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center. It highlights his two-dimensional works focused on the figure and constraints of the face in various forms of small sculpture, drawings and paint.
While his paintings are rich with figurative subject matter, De Dominicis use of material is quite bare. Tempera paint and pencil govern the basic material use and all reside on either canvas or board. He rarely uses more than two or three contrasting colors and keeps the figures to a minimal representation. The pieces range from small poster-sized works to largescale paintings on bright gold backgrounds.
Through further research on the artists, it can be seen that he often references mythical kings and deities such as Gilgamesh of Sumeria and Uryashi, the Hindu goddess of beauty. He was fascinated by the idealism of immortality and beauty, representing this examination in his figurative work. De Deominicis takes the human facial structure and morphs it, elongating and compression the features in an abstract representation. Occasionally he will even omit certain qualities of the face. These are paired with surreal figures with tiny bent hands and organic disproportionate bodies. There is an elegance in his study of the human form and how the paint reads on the canvas.

One piece in particular stuck out to me. It is a simple outline of a large triangle painted on the floor of the gallery. The playful title reads “I am sure that you (and you always will) be inside or outside of the triangle”. This witty piece is strikingly different from any of the other wotks presented in the exhibit. It draws awareness to personal and individual space, as well as public space within the gallery through the title alone.

f

James: Conspiracy Theory by Robert Boyd

There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part; you can't even passively take part, and you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop! And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!

This famous rant by Mario Savio is included within the two-channel video installation entitled “Conspiracy Theory” by Robert Boyd. A 10-minute long opus, several different conspiracy theories are featured, including the 9/11 truth movement, the establishment of a New World Order, AIDS being created by the government, the Illuminati, and a weird theory that all of the world’s leaders are actually members of an alien race known as reptilians. All of this is juxtaposed with dance music (wonderfully provided by Kerrin below) that continually repeats “I believe in you.”
What I found compelling about the work, is that the dance music is both making fun of the conspiracies and making these people’s anger and fear positively entertaining. The video clips fly at you at a rapid pace, one instant yelling that “9/11 was an inside job” and the next showing you clips of people pulling off their skin to reveal their true reptilian form. It would be very serious and creepy if it weren’t for the pulsating grooves sarcastically making fun of the whole thing.
I think that this idea of “fear as entertainment” is one that is continually spoken about. Newscasts are constantly parodied with their dire warnings about African Killer Bees, or new discoveries of a common household item that will kill you if you don’t watch our show. In these instances fear is used as a device to keep you interested and ultimately entertained. Robert Boyd takes similar fears—which are more transparently false and sensational—and makes them function as entertainment in the purest form… a dance party!

Some links for you about reptilians:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptilian_humanoid#Conspiracy_theories
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgZPryMAsLE
http://www.truthism.com

And this is the Mario Savio rant:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcx9BJRadfw

Michael Rakowitz and his Social Flair.

Michael Rakowitz sits in his Brooklyn-based storefront--looking oddly business-like for a visual artist.

As most of you may have gathered by my incessant blathering during class, I'm a big fan of Michael Rakowitz's "RETURN". I had never been exposed to his work before, but I found myself intrigued by the implications that arose in this art/business venture turned socio-economic investigation.

Presented on the first floor of the Sculpture Center, Rakowitz's installation consisted of the following: A couch, a television, a box of dates with four separate partitions, headphones and various hanging documents. Upon closer investigation, one could read (or hear via headphones) the story of Michael's father, an Iraqi Jew, who had immigrated to New York in the mid 1900's and opened an import/export company called Davison & Co.. In a bold art project, Rakowitz had reopened his father's business in Brooklyn, aiming to import the first Iraqi product into America since 1965. He did not have a robust inventory planned--on the contrary, there was only one real item of interest: The renowned Iraqi date.

Via his installation at the Sculpture Center, the viewer is able to witness Rakowitz's experiment of importing one ton of dates into the United States. What I found most interesting was how the project as a whole became far greater than the sum of its parts. The dates followed a surrogate path of today's Iraqi refugees: attempting to cross the Jordanian border after waiting in a 4-day line of traffic only to be turned away on two separate occasions... then traveling through Syria in an effort to reach Damascus, hoping to connect with a flight to Cairo. Even after exiting Iraq successfully, attempts to enter the United States were thwarted by inane bureaucratic excuses. Rakowitz experienced an unusually difficult time importing dates, a sweet fruit symbolizing hope and goodwill, from a country that we are supposed to be helping in their rebuilding efforts. He even received a letter from our own government, in 2004, informing him that it was ILLEGAL to import products from Iraq because we were "at war" with this country. This happened after President George W. Bush had declared "victory" and sanctions had been lifted.

Outside of highlighting some our country's glaring hypocrisies in foreign policy, this art project also acted as a unique social platform. Seated in a neighborhood where many Arab and Muslim immigrant families have settled, Rakowitz's sign drew in many curious customers who were intrigued by the letters in his storefront window: "Iraqi Dates, Coming Soon!" He met an older gentleman who had been away from his native Iraq for 46 years. They found a unique bond as fellow exiles. A Lebanese businessman came in to inquire as to whether or not his shop required an intermediary shipping company in order to secure Iraqi goods. This offer was instead accepted by another Iraqi exile who was searching for a way to send his family goods on a regular basis. Politics were often discussed for hours on end by customers as they engaged with one another openly and honestly, challenging social norms for our society's average retail locations. Who would have thought that camaraderie among so many different individuals could have been found in a small, newly opened storefront in Brooklyn?

I find this kind of work to be not only fascinating and inspiring, but also important. Some very real problems were highlighted by RETURN. In the same token, some very real connections were made. This work was successful in questioning an issue in a unique way and raising awareness about economic/trade loopholes within the relationship between the US and Iraq. It also unintentionally reflected the plight of many Iraqi refugees, who are robbed of even the most basic sense of safety and security.

This is something that, in my opinion, is a truly valuable contribution to the art world and society at large.

Robert Boyd's Conspiracy Theory coupled with Kylie Minogue Fabulousness!

Michelle and I have found the promised land... and it is good.




(real post to come shortly- still editing. But this was TOO GOOD to not share immediately!) :-D

If I find a karaoke machine with this song on it, it will be dangerous.

Joshsua Mosley's "Dread" at ICA, Philadephia

On exhibition from January 16^th- to March 29^th, Joshua Mosley’s “Dread” is a thoughtful and visually stimulating show. Upon entering the space viewers are first confronted by the dimly lit room before they approach one of the five bronze-cast sculptures that wait in the space. These sculptures exude a sense of looming fear, reflecting the dim lights off their dark bronze surfaces. The five sculptural pieces are placed white pedestals and together they provide an eerie introduction to the animated portion of the exhibition. In an animated film figures replicated in the sculptures (a dog, a cow, a beetle called Anthia sexguttato, Pascal, and Rousseau) are brought to life and interact in a thought provoking and intriguing manner. Throughout the film, the characters come across each other in different situations, each action artistically matching up to the explosions and bellows of the soundtrack. The score replaces the sounds of the world it accompanies and creates a new language for the video to speak through. This film is displayed on a large screen in a side room that seems filled with black, setting an almost all to perfect companion to the gray-scale palette of the video piece.

Approaching these pieces, I was at first struck by the lighting of the room since the sculptures seemed like ordinary three-dimensional pieces and yet their lighting was so differently and intentionally addressed than most items that are placed on pedestals and illuminated by blaring lights. Upon closer approach, each piece was ever so intelligently designed. When reading through the gallery information one takes notice to aspects such as stumps on the dog’s neck seen in “dread” are placed to show an evolutionary track, one which is also included in the four flattened areas along the sculpture of the cow’s spine. The lighting almost forced investigation into these features while also enforcing an eerie and looming sense of dread. The animation then brought these pieces to a new level of interaction showing them walking through nature, conversing, and even in physical conflict. Walking away from this specific exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art left me with a feeling of continued though about the figures’ actions and dialog. The video explored interaction with nature in ways that both made the viewer feel enlightened and then later uncomfortable and upset. Out of the three shows on display this one in particular placed a wonderful amount of intention and thought into display as well as interaction.

Through researching the exhibition, both through the provided gallery pamphlet and some research, it was interesting to see how the artist took a particular experience and created this grouping of pieces. Mosley was inspired and provoked by a film study featuring a dog in motion by Eadweard J. Muybridge. This photographic series shows a dog very similar to the model created by Moseley that then evolved into the story seen in the video within Moseley’s mind. This work differs than most of Joshua Mosley’s pieces in that he mainly focuses on the aspects of animation, and although the sculptures were initially clay models used for 3-D modeling purposes, their inclusion as distinct pieces set this particular show apart from some others. Through interacting with the exhibition, I was mostly fascinated by its cohesion and structure focused on one evolving topic. The artist not only creates an animation to address his ideas but also the accompanying sculptures and a score that parallels the tale told in the film. This sense of passion and commitment is inspiring and noteworthy. Mosley creates artwork that not only intrigues to viewer on a visual level, but also that exudes a strong sense of intellectual investigation and purpose.

anna's gallery/visit writeup

Aside from the unrelenting wind, it was a fun and informative outing. To me, the most enjoyable was PS1. The space makes smart use of an old school by leaving many of the rooms intact. You enter not knowing what to expect from room to room. It's what a true school should be, a place of curiosity and discovery.

There were three pieces that were particularly effective because the illicit an element of surprise in the ordinary.

The first piece was James Turrell's Meeting, 1986, a permanent site-specific installation. It encompasses one of the former classrooms. When you first walk in, there are spare wooden bench seating along each wall. Just above it, lights are strung that create an orange cast on the walls. When you look up, there is a gaping hold, though a very precise rectangular one, where the ceiling used to be. We're all familiar with the sky, yet we don't expect to see it as we walk into a room. visitors sit along the benches. Everyone is sharing the same space, yet the effect is very different than say, sitting in a subway car, or even sharing space on a beach or park. The first thing I felt was the air, at times refreshing, and at some moments, like a very cold sting. But it was the natural outdoor air seeping into an 'enclosed' space that brought this feeling of calm and peacefulness. Also to sit beneath the sky, makes you aware of our connection to verything. James Turrell is considered a pioneer in his use of light and natural elements in unexpected ways, and this piece was powerful because it allowed you just to be very much present in the moment.

The second installation, Leandro Erlich's Swimming Pool, 2004, was equally strong. It is actually a two part installation. When you enter the first floor, a full size, though somewhat narrow pool complete with ladder and deck flooring await you. When you approach the pool, you notice people milling about at the bottom of the pool, fully clothed and breathing. It is unexpected and surprising, but in a very playful way. You realize thewater is not very deep, but rather only about 2" on top of a plexi sheet. When you go to the lower level, you enter the room that seves as the interior of the pool. You look up above to the surface, as visitors gaze down. The lower level is a bit claustrophobic, just the strangeness of feeling you are below water, yet fully clothed, not wet, and you don't have to hold your breath.

The third installation is one from Olafur Eliasson's Take Your Time exhibit from last year. Eliasson has been compared to Turrell with his take on light, reflections, and nature, though in a less sublime way. This piece consists of a large circular mirrow on the ceiling that roates. I wanted to walk beneath it, because I think it would give a better sense of the movement, but when I was there everyone was lying on the floor. I think hte power was more from the people's reaction to it, than the actual piece. To me, it reminded me of the first really warm day in spring , where everyone congregates outdoors, just to soak up the moment. It just became that sort of happy, relaxing space to be in.

I wanted to mention also, two works from the Neo Hoo Doo exhibition because they just really caught my attention. The first was The Lonely Soul, 2006 by Pepon Osorio, which is an assemblage consisting of crutches, a wooden house-like structore supported by crutches, etc. Though the materials are recognizeable objects, they add symbolism. The overall feeling it gave me was issues of assistance, of poverty of the oppressed and suffering. The wheelchair wheels are fully intact, so there should be mobility, yet those type of wheels are for support. The 'house' is supported by crutches. Either the person inside has surrendered to apathy, or the assistance is inadequate. The other piece was Jose Bedia's The Things That Drag Me Down, 1998/2008, a mixed media piece that contains a torso silhouette on the wall, with chains attached to its' shoulders. From this, tow long narrow boats carry liquor, cigarettes, etc. It brought to mind the slave trade and trading in general. The workers who provide the products never see the profits, but rather bloated markups by distributors enjoy the wealth of the workers' labor. This touches on distribution of wealth. The hopeful aspect of the piece is that the tose is upright, appearing resilient, the chains are not overly oppressive, but they are still there. It reminded me of the human spirit, despite whatever hardships, the figure/spirit remains unbroken. This exhibit dealt with issues on spritituality and also humanity. It takes its' idea from Ishameel Reed's poetry, where he states "every man is an artist, very artist a priest." I felt it was a very timely reminder of our own power to change and heal, both ourselves, and one another.

Gino De Dominicis's Maniacal Laugh

The image is on it's side, but it's a black and white photograph of the Virgin Mary and the primary reason behind shooting the video was to capture a loop of the maniacally seductive laugh that engulfs this dark room comprised of several of Gino De Dominicis works at PS1.
As much as I hate to admit it, I really enjoyed Borre Saethre's three room installation that culminates with a boxed unicorn. I hate to admit this, because I think that the work employs a lot of gimmicks (in the form of flashing lights, monitors and beeps), I get the sense that it's void of any meaning and it's primarily ear and eye candy. That said, I appreciate the collapse of modernist form with futuristic materials to present a seductive series of rooms. The combination of sound and small monitors in the first room present a hypnotic rhythm in an otherwise minimal room, the second room functions as a busy portal into the third room, again relatively minimal, but showcasing a unicorn laying in its side. The unicorn is beautifully executed with a gaze that engages the viewer.
In the end, I think that the real reason I enjoyed this work so much and the element that will most likely stick with me was the response of the small children that were in the room at various points when I was there. The awe and surprise of seeing the unicorn and wondering what to make of the frozen creature. Then came the explanation from a slightly older child, perhaps 6 or 7 years old - that the unicorn is dead, due to the heat of the sun....