work in progress
work in progress
This is what I’m working on for The Pandemic Show, a group show of artist designed surgical masks, curated by Elizabeta Betinski and Sandra Low. 11.14.09 – 12.2009 at Overtones in Los Angeles. Mark your calendars for the opening reception: 11.14.09, 7-10 pm.
I visited the Musee d’art Contemporain De Montreal last weekend and saw the video installation Merce Cunningham performs STILLNESS (in three movements) to John Cage’s composition 4’33’’ with Trevor Carlson, New York City, 28 April 2007 (six performances; six films), 2008.
by Tacita Dean.
Our entrance to the museum was a bit disjointed and confused. The museum is the midst of the construction of a new downtown area call the Quartier des spectacles (see next post for more on that) so it was a bit hard to find the entrance. Then after buying a ticket, I misplaced it and had to rifle through my purse as the museum staff and the others I was with waited. This agitation dissipated though as we entered the Tacita Dean installation. There was Merce Cunningham in 16mm, life size, sitting patiently and looking at us or looking just past us, in six projections throughout an immense room. It was like that dream in which someone you love who died, comes back, without explanation.
In the projections, Merce Cuningham is performing John Cages 4′ 33″ . Cage’s performance consisted of instructions for a piano player to not play piano, and Merce Cunningham’s rendition is that he simply sits still for that period of time in his dance rehersal space. In some of the angles you see the person behind the camera, you see New York and the light from the windows pours into the room and from the mirrors. They are stunning portraits, simple and rich with conceptuality and with accesable human meaning. (and further enriched because here is a collaboration among Merce Cunningham, John Cage and Tacita Dean, all making thier own piece) To me they all state fundamental (familiar but welcome) remarks about the worthiness of experimentation and of challenging popular modes of media. To me, some of these are;
-long static shots remind me that media can represent stillness and this can be so engaging
-he isn’t acting, this is a documentary of a man sitting still
-be patient when making moving images
-there’s an old person on the screen, under-represented population
-he’s a dancer, and his sitting still in a chair and this is his dance
-the projections represent him life size, there is no bigger than life character
-the camera is shooting from several angles, and the projections are located all over the room, blowing apart the illusion of space that this media is often expected to invoke
My new video/sound installation, i dream in your language, will be presented at this year’s SoundWalk, “a one-night event of sound installations by over 50 local and international sound artists.” Works are spread throughout the area encompassed by Broadway, Atlantic Avenue, Ocean Boulevard, and Elm Street with a sound corridor on 1st Street that will connect the East Village and Pine Avenue. The art is exhibited in a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces. Mine will be at Phantom Galleries on the southwest corner of 3rd and Elm Ave.
SW09 PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:
Aaron Drake / After School Program / Alexander Jarman / AMO / Amy Ling Huynh / Andrea Dominguez / Bekkah Walker / Braden Diotte / Caroline Chang & Kyoung Kim / Clowns and Fetuses / D. Jean Hester / Divine Brick Research Sound Projects / Double Blind / Elisabeth McMullin & Kegan McGurk / Erin Scott / Eric Strauss / FLOOD / Flora Kao / Francene Kaplan & Ryan Hunt / Gary Raymond / G. Douglas Barrett (Buffalo) / Gintas K (Lithuania) / HOLLOW BODIES / HumanEar / j.frede / Iris Lancery & Cyril Marche (France) / Jeff Boynton / Jeff Rau / Joe Newlin / John Kannenberg (Chicago) / Joseph Tepperman & Dorian Wood / Julia Holter / Justin Varis & Kevin Ponto / Kadet Kuhne / Karen Crews & Brian Hendon / Kari Rae Seekins / Leah A. Rico / Lewis Keller / Machine Head / Madelyn Byrne, Randy Hoffman & Ellen Weller / Mark Cetilia & Jon Coulthard / Michele Jaquis / Mitchell Brown / MLuM (Singapore/USA) / MPG Interactive Arts / Noah Thomas / Object Control / Ori Barel & Gil Omri Barel / OTONOMIYAKI / Paula Mathusen / phog masheeen / Phil Curtis / Phillip Stearns / Redux / Sander Roscoe Wolff / Scott Cazan / Small Drone Orchestra / smgsap / Song-Ming Ang / Steve Craig / Steve Roden / Steven Speciale / Stuart Sperling / Tamara Mason / The Hop-Frog Kollectiv & Friends / The Carolyn Duo / Tom McDermott / UEM / Warren-Crow + Warren-Crow
Start Time: 05:00
Date: 2009-10-03
End Time: 10:00
Nathalie Sanchez wrote a great review of the 1440 Frames show at Federal Art Project. Check it out.
Terri Cohn, San Fransisco based writer, curator, art historian whom I met while at Vermont Studio Center, has been writing about her experiences there and just posted part one of a two part online exhibition of art and writings by VSC June residents, and my work is included. Check it out.
Nam June Paik is considered to be the godfather of Video Art, the first artist to have access to the Sony Portapak. He was a fluxus artist and worked primarily in performance and video. He died this past January and tonight LACMA and LA Film Fourum will be honoring him tonight with a TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE AND ART OF NAM JUNE PAIK – “An evening of remembrances, performances, projected video works, and rarely seen clips.” If you are in LA this is not to be missed.
There are two great events this Friday:
First come to the Hands On Pre-Closing Event at the Armory Northwest/965 from 6-8 p.m. (965 N. Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena.) This exhibition closes on Dec. 11 and is only open on the weekends so there is not much time left to participate in the interactive art installations by 15 So Cal artists (including me.)
Afterwards join us at the opening reception of Otis Grrls at Crazy Space from 6-9 p.m.
Women faculty from Otis College of Art and Design Fine Arts Program present an invitational exhibition of former and current students whose work spoke to them about the condition of being female in Los Angeles at the beginning of the 21st century. Artists include: Kelly Akashi, Donna Angers, Brienne Arrington, Christine Carrea, Irena Contreras, Sophia Dawood-Shauk, Victoria Hunt, Elizabeth Lopez, Suzanne Oshinsky, and Yanina Spizzirri. Faculty selecting include: Jerri Allyn, Susan Barnet, Carole Caroompas, Meg Cranston, Dana Duff, Michele Jaquis, Suzanne Lacy, Soo Kim, Laura Kuo, and Holly Tempo
If you can’t make the opening there will be a round table conversation on Saturday Dec. 10 from 3-5 p.m.
Its a busy week…Tomorrow, Jeremy and I have digital prints in an art auction benefiting The HeArt Project.
This Saturday, June 4, I will be presenting a new installation and Jeremy will be presenting a new performance/installation at Interchange 3 at LAAA/Gallery 825
October is a busy month for Rise Industries. Jeremy and I participated in a performance event Interchange last weekend. Check out images online if you missed it. Today I have a video being shown as part of The Best of Video 825 at MAK DAY. Also tonight at Gallery 825 I have a video/sculpture in the group exhibition Things d’ Art.
Here’s what else is coming up:
Oct 17 – Nov. 13: Women Trauma and Visual Expression at Woman Made Gallery in Chicago.
Oct 18: Now, and Now Again at The Wedge in the Woman’s Building in Los Angeles.
Oct 25: American Made at the LAtch in Los Angeles.
If you are in the San Francisco area from now until March 1, check out the multi media installation “Art in Unexpected Places” at 300 California Street. This installation was organized and produced by ideagarden, and I have a video featured in DVD 9.
WHAT: Art in Unexpected Places: artists’ reception and mixed-media installation
WHERE: 300 California Street (at Battery), San Francisco
WHEN: Thursday, February 13th, 6:30 > 8:30PM
WHO: Ideagarden, San Francisco
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