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Item: Burgers at the Laundromat
Date: 31 July 2009, 4:50 pm

Juliane Zelwies, Hamburger Diagram

Saturday, August 8th, the Laundromat kicks off its 2009 season with The Burger Group Show – a one-day exhibition complete with selections from The Laundromat Flat File and a menu of 'conceptual burgers.' The show features work by returning Laundromat artists, as well as newcomers who will be exhibiting their work with the space this fall.

Each participating artist has crafted a 'conceptual hamburger' that references the study of art history, or art-related concepts. The artists will be writing descriptions of their respective burgers for the menu, and cooking their creations for patrons. Founder and director of the Laundromat, Kevin Andrew Curran, sees the menu as a "tongue-in-cheek" opportunity for the artists to make commentary and fuel artistic discourse.

Curran does not intend to teach visitors a formal lesson, but he does see the potential for artists and visitors alike to indulge in "some (serious) fun with the idea of creating and consuming hamburgers that are playfully engaging art history." The show also provides an opportunity for the Laundromat to display works from the space's rotating Flat File. Artists included in the File lend their work to the Laundromat for one year, after which the drawer may be offered to another artist. In this way, Curran hopes to increase the number of artists whose work may be viewed in the flat file, while simultaneously increasing the geographic diversity of the collection.

The Burger Group Show will be held at the Laundromat gallery on Saturday, August 8th, from 6-10 PM. Participating artists include Chris Deo, Sarah McDougald Kohn, Maria Walker, Jonathan Allmaier, Scott Wilson, Ben Godward, Joe Protheroe, Ianthe Jackson and Liz Atzberger. Conceptual burgers will be on sale for $5 to $20, and visitors are invited to take home a copy of the menu.

2. Source: ArtCal Zine

Item: Triumph of the Will at Anthology
Date: 10 July 2009, 2:39 am

via uncp.edu

Somewhere towards the beginning of Leni Riefenstahl’s The Triumph of the Will, in the middle of a long and tedious sequence of military men addressing the party congress on matters of public policy, Goebbels, in a suit, rises to the microphone to speak about propaganda. “May the bright flame of our enthusiasm never be extinguished,” he says, looking somewhat more comfortable in front of the crowd then you might imagine. “It alone gives the creative art of modern political propaganda its light and warmth. From the depths of the people it rose aloft. And into the depths of the people in must descend… It may be good to have power based on arms, but it is better and more joyful to win and to keep the hearts of the people.” It’s a telling moment, especially in light of Riefensthal’s insistence, for the remainder of her life, that Triumph was not and is not a propaganda film, but instead a work of ‘total art’ or of ‘cinema verite.’ Technically speaking, she is correct, insofar as Hitler had chosen her precisely for her pedigree as an artist, and she only agreed to make the film when he promised to keep Goebbels and his minions at the ministry entirely out of its production.

And yet, watching the film today, it is clearly not only a piece of propaganda, but the apogee of the genre. By turns horrifying and deadly dull, it is wholly without irony or self-reflection of any sort. Quite literally a masterpiece, it is responsible for creating an entire arsenal of cinematic techniques later employed by everybody from Josef Stalin to Barack Obama. In effect then, the distinction, between art and propaganda, which mattered so much to Reifenstahl in the films production, has in some sense vanished. Art not only became propaganda but perfected it, the distance she fought to maintain damning her all the more for preserving the unique power of her vision. Triumph plays at Anthology this Saturday at 6 and 8:30, its worth seeing, if you haven’t before; even if the technical achievements no longer impress, the relentlessness of thing remains striking and, god willing, singular.

3. Source: ArtCal Zine

Item: Kathleen Cullen on "Tattoo"
Date: 1 July 2009, 7:49 pm

Installation view of Tattoo at Kathleen Cullen Fine Arts. Via gallery.

Tattoo at Kathleen Cullen Fine Arts is a multimedia exploration of tattoo art and its ever-changing role in society. The exhibition includes paintings, photography, sculpture and film, as well as a few empty bottles of Jack Daniels littered about the gallery for an something like an authentic, tattoo parlor feel. We caught up with Cullen, the director of the gallery, and asked about her inspiration for the show and her take on tattoo art.-- S.K.

Stephanie Korszen for ArtCat: What was your inspiration for situating the work of tattoo artists within the context of a fine art gallery?

Kathleen Cullen: The inspiration is really the everyday. You need only sit down at a café or bar, or stand at a traffic light, to grant your eyes the opportunity to admire the body art on others' skin. Additionally, one of the artists I represent, Max Snow, served as the catalyst for this exhibition. In 2008, Max documented the stories of Latino gang members in L.A., for whom tattoo art serves an important role in self-identity. Max also wears part of his identity externally in the form of body art.

In the 1930s, Herbert Hoffmann photographed people and documented their fantastic stories before they were sent to prison by the Third Reich. He developed a great respect for these people, whom he saw as hard-working and unpretentious. Many bore the simplest of tattoos on their arms and hands – historically a sign of degeneracy. Over the years, tattoos have broken free of this inherent link to all things degenerate, to the point where they now have the potential to serve as a status symbol on par with designer handbags. Bruce Willis, on the cover of W Magazine, sports tattoos. Supermodels adorn themselves with body art. We see biker motifs, as well as Maori, Japanese, and sailor themes – rich codes to decipher on other’s bodies.

AC: You’ve discussed tattoo art as an intercession between the arenas of popular and high culture. How have you mirrored this comingling of cultures in your gallery space?

KC: We have everything from a Keith Haring poster, graffiti tattoos, tattoo-inspired furniture
and a film, Mark of Cain, by Alix Lambert. This film was part of a ten-year project during which the Lambert interviewed criminals in Russia. Lambert’s project inspired David Cronenberg to review the Russian criminal tattoo codes for the well-known movie Eastern Promises, starring Vigo Mortensen and Naomi Watts. Lambert reveals the hidden history behind Russian tattoos, as well as their complex symbolism.

Installation view of Tattoo at Kathleen Cullen Fine Arts. Via gallery.

AC: How did you conduct your research for this exhibition?

KC: We began by researching books and articles on the tattoo subculture from the 1930s
through the 1950s, and then followed the evolution of the tattoo further into the punk generation of the 1970s and 80s. Tattoos have transcended their stereotypical role as the mark of a lowlife in the first half of the twentieth century – though youthful sailors often flaunted tattoos as a rite of manhood – to arrive at a socially-accepted norm. Represented in our exhibit are biker, Maori, Japanese and sailor motifs.

Also included is Larry Clark's Tulsa tattoo. Like Danny Lyons, Clark blurred the lines between observer and participant. Lyons photographed unwanted, hated bikers. A common underlying theme for the artists represented in the exhibition is the desire to share an emotional closeness with their subjects. The resulting works are not merely documents; they are empathetic portraits.

AC: In presenting tattoo art, all of the works on display also portray the tattooed. Do you feel that the meaning of a tattoo is inherently tied to – and thus dependent upon – the individual’s identity?

KC: The meaning of a tattoo is intrinsically tied to a person's identity, because without the individual, the tattoo is rendered meaningless. If the individual was done away with, the tattoo would become an image devoid of significance.

4. Source: Art Competitions provided by Artshow.com

Item: 51st Annual Juried Competition - Monroe, Louisiana

$3,200 in awards. Deadline: January 12, 2014

5. Source: Art Competitions provided by Artshow.com

Item: OPA 23rd National Exhibition - Bennington, Vermont

Over $75,000 in awards. Deadline: February 7, 2014

6. Source: Art Competitions provided by Artshow.com

Item: 15th National Juried Art Exhibit - Liberal, Kansas

$4,600 in awards. Deadline: January 10, 2014

7. Source: Art Competitions provided by Artshow.com

Item: 35th Georgia Watercolor Society National Exhibition - Carrollton, Georgia

Over $10,000 in awards. Deadline: January 6, 2014

8. Source: Art Competitions provided by Artshow.com

Item: Brand 42, Celebrate! - Glendale, California

$4,000 in prizes. Deadline: January 6, 2014

9. Source: Art Competitions provided by Artshow.com

Item: Scope Art Show - New York, NY

$20,000 in awards. Deadline: January 10, 2014

10. Source: Art Competitions provided by Artshow.com

Item: PhotoSpiva 2014 - Joplin, Missouri

$2,000 in cash awards. Deadline: January 5, 2014

11. Source: Art Competitions provided by Artshow.com

Item: Pastel National 2014 - Wichita, Kansas

$7,500 in cash and purchase awards. Deadline: December 27, 2013

12. Source: Art Competitions provided by Artshow.com

Item: 2013/2014 International ARC Salon - Online competition

$61,450 in cash and purchase awards. Deadline: January 15, 2014

13. Source: Art Competitions provided by Artshow.com

Item: American Plains Artists 29th Annual Juried Exhibit - Kerrville, Texas

$20,000 in awards. Deadline: December 28, 2013

14. Source: Brighton Culture

Item: ART: Where to buy artist-made Christmas gifts in Brighton
Date: 10 December 2011, 10:32 am

Still struggling with the seasonal shopping? It doesn't all have to be trawling through Amazon or fighting the crowds at Churchill Square. Christmas is the perfect opportunity to support the arts and buy something truly special. Here are three of the best places in Brighton to buy creative Christmas gifts.

The post ART: Where to buy artist-made Christmas gifts in Brighton appeared first on Brighton Culture.

15. Source: e-flux » Announcements

Item: Call for applications for 2015 residency

The Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten is a renowned international residency program based in Amsterdam. We offer outstanding opportunities for talented artists from the Netherlands and abroad to develop their work at the highest level. Resident artists work in an individual studio surrounded by approximately 50 peers from all over the world and have ongoing dialogues with a group of prominent artists and (art) professionals connected to the Rijksakademie as advisors.

16. Source: Victoria & Albert Museum - Art, Design, Culture

Item: V&A CultureCast: July 2006 (enhanced with images)
Date: 10 July 2006, 5:00 am

The July 2006 edition of CultureCast features design historian David Crowley discussing the image of Che Guevara within the context of 1960s culture and politics. It also has an extract from a tapestry gallery talk given by Sue Lawty, V& A artist in residence and an article about the cast of the Portico de la Gloria in the Cast Courts.

Enclosure (m4a)

17. Source: Victoria & Albert Museum - Art, Design, Culture

Item: V&A CultureCast: July 2006 (no images)
Date: 10 July 2006, 5:00 am

Enclosure (mp3)

18. Source: - Reviews RSS Feed

Item: Art review: Georg Grosz's Berlin - Prostitutes, Politicians and Profiteers
Date: 1 October 2013, 12:37 pm

This is the first substantial London show of works on paper by the great, Berlin-born political satirist Georg Grosz in twenty years, and, oddly, it is being staged in a private gallery. What is more, the show of 50 works is a major loan exhibition – none of the paintings of drawings is for sale. What's in it for the gallery? 'We got a call from a collector the other day, offering us works by Grosz,' Richard Nagy tells me. So there you have it.

19. Source: gmane.culture.media.idc

Item: Re: Hyperemployed or Feminized Labor?
Date: 21 November 2013, 4:54 pm

Hi John,

Perhaps there is a misunderstanding but I was referencing the 3rd paragraph in the  introductory email and broad brush introducing the contextualization....and was unduly influenced by Ian's specific backstory.

None the less, it is a on-going debate.  Please understand I believe it to be absolutely necessary - perhaps now more than ever!   We now have convincing (?)  quantitative evidence easily accessible to substantiate the formulation of this new phase of the debate. I, too, believe in  "the enormous opportunity (and need) that exists to invent and test new economic models that there is a lot more value to be gained (of all kinds) from spending our time building those possibilities...." however, we must resist the seduction of naiveté re: the context in which we are all operative and inter-dependent.

ATB,

Chris


On Nov 20, 2013, at 5:23 PM, John Sobol wrote:

20. Source: gmane.culture.media.idc

Item: Re: Hyperemployed or Feminized Labor?
Date: 21 November 2013, 1:23 am

Hi Chris,

Hmm, I didn't recall that Ian's article was referring specifically to the video game industry but had the impression it was alluding to all forms of user-generated sharing. Maybe I got that wrong.

But yes I do imagine his article was at least in part driven by the reaction against the blind utopianism you refer to, a response I can definitely understand even at this remove from silicon valley where the resulting disparity is less visible.

And yes this discussion has been going on for a while, and I've disagreed with Trebor in the past around here about whether or not contributing 'user-generated content' to facebook and other social networks constitutes exploitation, in part for the reasons I mentioned in my post. Which is maybe why I thought the argument was about freely contributing to any online community and not the most obviously problematic cases of 'real work' being replaced by freely given labour.

I still believe that given the enormous opportunity (and need) that exists to invent and t

21. Source: gmane.culture.media.idc

Item: Re: Hyperemployed or Feminized Labor?
Date: 17 November 2013, 6:10 pm

Thanks for all this thoughtful evaluation, Karen. 


This is probably the commonest criticism of my piece, and I do understand it. However, it was a calculated gambit. I think it can be turned around: does calling the cozy arrangement you describe "exploitation" do anything to overcome or even resolve those antagonisms? 

One of the reasons I wanted to write this piece and explore a different verbal frame is because I think the answer is "no." While this one salvo isn't enough to lead to definitive conclusions, framing labor-without-benefit as employment might help show exactly the contradiction you and Trebor (and others) highlight. I hope it's clear that we don't disagree on the unfortunate scarcity of "true" employment. It's really two sides of the same coin: Trebor might say, hey, these jobs don't bear some of the key features of employment! And I might respond, yes, and even weirder they simultaneously exhibit MORE of the key features of employment too! 

This is also where I think my argument diverges

22. Source: - Features RSS Feed

Item: In the studio: Annette Messager, artist
Date: 15 November 2013, 2:00 pm

Annette Messager lives and works in Malakoff, just outside the Paris Périphérique. She moved here "around" 20 years ago with artist Sophie Calle and some other friends.

23. Source: - Features RSS Feed

Item: Their art on your sleeve: The contenders for this year's Best Art Vinyl award include albums by Paul McCartney, Babyshambles and Daft Punk
Date: 13 November 2013, 4:30 pm

We all know the bands and the singers who are Top of the Pops – but what about the record covers? Each year a shortlist of 50 record sleeves are nominated for the Best Art Vinyl award, now in its 9th year, by a panel of industry experts. The designs are exhibited across the UK and online at artvinyl.com from today, where the public can vote for their favourite covers, with the winners announced in January 2014.

24. Source: - Features RSS Feed

Item: When the fascists tried to tame the modern masters
Date: 4 November 2013, 7:00 pm

Such are the problems and complexities of the issues surrounding the aftermath of the Nazi-era purging of so called "degenerate art" – which means art made, owned, or subject to the nefarious influence of the Jews, Jewishness and all that such labelling came to mean – that it is not at all surprising that it has taken nearly two years for the Bavarian authorities to make public the extraordinary seizure of almost 1,500 artworks from the apartment of Cornelius Gurlitt, the 80-year-old son of a German art historian once in the pay of Joseph Goebbels.

25. Source: - Features RSS Feed

Item: Has the Turner Prize grown up?
Date: 22 October 2013, 7:00 pm

"How will you REACT?" The words greet the visitor to this year's Turner Prize, written on a poster, accompanied by a photograph of a stunned child. It hangs outside the former military barracks that have been transformed into a gallery space for the occasion, and comes into view as you walk across the Peace Bridge, over the river that once symbolically divided Derry-Londonderry, or just Legenderry, as the locals are proud of calling it.

26. Source: - Features RSS Feed

Item: UK Picture Editors’ Guild Awards 2013 finalists announced
Date: 22 October 2013, 12:01 pm

The finalists for this year's UK Picture Editors’ Guild Awards have been announced. Over 400 photographs were submitted and a panel of judges have narrowed them down to this year's nominations. There are several different categories covering all aspects of news from business to sport to entertainment.

27. Source: - Features RSS Feed

Item: Exhibition of the week: The EY Exhibition: Paul Klee, Tate Modern, London SE1
Date: 18 October 2013, 2:00 pm

You can never have too much of Paul Klee. Ten years since the last major show, Tate Modern's exhibition aims to be the most comprehensive, taking Klee from his entry on the art scene in 1910 to his death in 1940.

28. Source: - Features RSS Feed

Item: Portfolio: Martin Kollar's images of Israel capture 'one of the most contentious geographical zones of modern history'
Date: 12 October 2013, 7:00 pm

When Martin Kollar was invited, along with various award-winning photographers, to spend several months in Israel to capture "one of the most contentious geographical zones of modern history", the 41-year-old found the country reminded him of growing up in Zilina, Czechoslovakia (now the Slovak Republic).

29. Source: - Features RSS Feed

Item: In the Studio: Daniel Silver, sculptor
Date: 11 October 2013, 2:00 pm

Daniel Silver works in a "barn in the middle of Hackney". I can see why he calls it a barn, its lofty wood ceiling resembling an alpine village cow barn. Ranged around the light space are shelves full of sculptures, kin to the objects in Dig, Silver's impressive proto-archaeological installation in Euston, central London.

30. Source: - Features RSS Feed

Item: In pictures: Your Shot - National Geographic's photo community project
Date: 10 October 2013, 12:49 pm

The National Geographic magazine has launched a new photographic project called 'Your Shot' - asking readers to submit their pictures as part of its 125th anniversary celebrations.

31. Source: - Features RSS Feed

Item: Anxiety attack: Faces from the fin-de-siècle
Date: 28 September 2013, 7:00 pm

We call it the fin de siècle, a ripe age of dreamy literature, days in coffee houses and nights of wine and roses. It was a careless time, a peaceful time, when summer looked set to last forever and everyone was blind to the cataclysm looming over the horizon. That, at least, is the received wisdom on the opening of the 20th century.

32. Source: - Features RSS Feed

Item: Artist Dan Baldwin on the enduring kitsch quality of Catholic iconography
Date: 26 September 2013, 1:37 pm

Catholicism is an odd starting point for an artist who once made a painting called “F*** Religion”, but Dan Baldwin has been drawn to religious iconography since he was a boy.

33. Source: Eyebeam RSS Feed

Item: Communications Director
Date: 13 June 2012, 5:20 pm

Activity Details

Call Type:

Job

Start Date:

09/17/2012

Time Commitment:

3 days/wk

On-site:

On Site

Call Details

get involved

09/04/2012 - 09/16/2012

Status:

Current

Eyebeam Art + Technology Center is looking for a part time (3 days/week) Communications Director to start August 1. Eyebeam Art + Technology Center is the nation's leading center for art and technology, offering artists and creative technologists paid residences in its Chelsea facility, in addition to a wide range of public programs.

We are looking for a creative self-starter who can work closely with our staff and artists to tell the Eyebeam story. The candidate should be able to engage with audiences through both traditional and social media. Great writing skills, a good design sense, an ability to think strategically, and a collaborative approach are essential.

Other criteria include:

Contact E-mail:

calls/communications-director" target="_blank">read more

34. Source: Eyebeam RSS Feed

Item: Eyebeam 2012 Fall / Winter Residency Call
Date: 23 May 2012, 10:43 am

Activity Details

Call Type:

Residency

Start Date:

09/17/2012

On-site:

On Site

Call Details

get involved - residencies

05/24/2012 - 06/22/2012

Status:

Current

FALL/WINTER 2012 RESIDENCY CALL

APPLICATION DEADLINE: All applications must have been received via online application by 12:00PM (noon) June 22, 2012. All applicants will be informed of their application status by August 13, 2012.

Residencies

calls/eyebeam-2012-fall-winter-residency-call" target="_blank">read more

35. Source: Eyebeam RSS Feed

Item: Eye To Eyebeam
Date: 11 October 2011, 12:43 pm

eyebeamcopycopy.gif

Eye To Eyebeam is a series on Eyebeam's residents and fellows. It includes interviews, photos, and other news and is authored by Eyebeam intern Katherine DiPierro. These interactive posts offer visitors the opportunity to learn more about Eyebeam's diverse community of creative practitioners.

Each week, you'll see interviews profiling individual Eyebeamers. Artists who have already engaged in conversation about their projects include:

Project Created:

September 2011

36. Source: Daily Campello Art News

Item: Opportunity for sculptors
Date: 10 December 2013, 3:30 am

The Capitol Hill Alphabet Animal Project will commission ten artists to produce sculptures that will be permanently installed on selected street posts in DC. These are paid commissions, and the project is working with an historian, will have a launch event, as well as produce a book.

Funding for this phase is from the DDOT and the DC Humanities Council.

More details here: https://sites.google.com/site/alphabetanimalsdc/home

37. Source: Culture, Arts and Entertainment

Item: 500 of world's leading authors condemn scale of state surveillance
Date: 10 December 2013, 2:00 am

Authors from 81 different countries including British writers Julian Barnes, Ian McEwan, Irvine Welsh and Martin Amis, call for a new international charter enshrining digital rights

Enclosure (jpg)

38. Source: Daily Campello Art News

Item: Part II of "Miami Bound"
Date: 9 December 2013, 5:29 pm

On the flight over to Miami to participate at the Context Art Miami art fair during Art Basel Miami Beach week, I began the first of two postings discussing why visual art establishments and arts organizations of all sorts should and must participate in the visual art world's largest art party. You can read the first part here.

As I return home, having had a terrific fair, this second part is being written on the flight home.

The first part used The Art League as an example of a visual arts entity (and a great one at that) that should participate in art fairs. I noted that they have several thousand members and run a very successful and important program at their space inside the Torpedo Factory and assorted classrooms all over the area.

So the issue is, how does The Art League (again, you can fill in any of multiple DMV area membership-based art organizations) pick or select the 3-5 artists to take to an art fair?

Once again I am going to make the very important point that the "good" art fairs are nearly always tightly juried. There are many other art fairs where one just pays and anyone and everyone can go - those usually suck and unfortunately by now some DMV galleries and many DMV solo artists have discovered this (along with good Cuban food) during this last week in Miami.

And thus I noted that for Miami/NYC fairs I am thinking (in no particular order) about Art Miami, Context, Aqua, Pulse, NADA, Affordable Art Fair(s), Scope, Miami Project, Untitled, Frieze... some of these are very, very hard (some nearly impossible) to get into, but they're listed nonetheless, because there is a "food chain" of art fairs, and the bottom-feeders usually spell disaster for the participants. For example, we've applied many times to Pulse and have always been rejected. There were almost 30 art fairs in the Greater Miami area last week!

For this, The Art League would need to establish a process to pre-jury its membership to 3-5 artists and apply with those artists to an art fair. I would start with The Affordable Art Fair in New York this coming Spring. They are close by and they are a "proven" fair. Later, for Miami, I would start with either Aqua or Context.

The Art League then would need to canvas their membership and find out who's interested in being juried for possible selection for further jurying into an art fair. Everything that I'm going to discuss below has to be clearly explained in the prospectus for this process, so that each applying artist knows exactly what this would involve.

I suspect that a large number of artists would find this attractive, and perhaps a small jurying fee ($10?) could be applied to subsidize the art fair costs (I would budget anywhere from $12-20K, depending on booth size).

I would make this jurying process independent from the Art League itself - just like they do for their monthly juried shows, and have interested artists bring their work in to be juried by an independent juror.

That juror has to be a very special juror - in fact 99.9998% of your standard-issue visual art juror (art professors, art critics, art writers, art center directors, artists, collectors, art symbiots, etc.) would guarantee a disaster to this process. There are probably less than a dozen people in the entire DMV who are qualified to jury this process, I kid thee not and I know them all.

This is a critical point, so I'm going to repeat it: The DMV the jury pool for this process is very limited and its members are only those gallerists who have successfully participated in multiple art fairs. In fact I can't think of anyone better to jury this part than me!

Whatever you do, DO NOT use an art fair director as a juror! They are usually interested in what would make the fair look good (usually from an unsellable trendy perspective) , rather than understand the delicate balance of good art, finances and peripheral issues that come to play into this process.

The juror would pick 3-5 artists and 2-3 alternates. This is because some art fair processes do have the option to accept an application while at the same time rejecting some of the artists in that application.

So now we have a group of artists, culled from applying Art League members, ready and willing to participate in an art fair.

The actual application process is easy, so I'm not getting into that - be aware that deadlines are usually months before the actual fairs.

If accepted, the next step is transporting the artwork to the art fair, and then returning the unsold artwork back to the owners. For this, the Art League has various options.

One option would be to hire a transport company. There are dozens and dozens of specialized carriers that do this and they pick up and transport the art to your booth at the fair, and at the end pick it up from your booth and transport it back. This is the easiest and the most expensive. From here to NYC and back I would budget $1200-$2000 depending on volume. Packaging also becomes an issue here.

Another option is to rent a truck or van and schlep the work to and from the fair yourself. This is what I usually do for New York and Miami.

A third option is to have each artist (or teamed artists) bring their own work in their own cars, vans, etc.

In this example, I would offer each accepted artist the choice to also come to the fair, and help hang and help to sell their own work. This should be an option, not a requirement, as some artists would rather spend a week in Baghdad than a long weekend in an art fair dealing with art collectors; but some artists do like doing that. In any event, just "being" and seeing what goes on at an art fair is a spectacular learning opportunity for anyone involved in the visual arts.

The Art League has the luxury of having a very skilled "front desk" team that is already well-versed in the arcane art of selling artwork - so they could and should also come to the fair to handle questions and sales, etc.DO NOT send your executive director or curator to handle sales - that would be a disaster!

We're getting dangerously close to having a lot of people crowding the booth, so let's please keep the number of people hanging around the booth at all times to less than three; the artists can "float" in and out.

There is strength in numbers in many other aspects: transporting artwork, hanging it, packing it, splitting costs of hotel rooms, etc.

Before you book a hotel room anywhere in the major US cities (especially NYC) always check www.bedbugregistry.com. Again, I kid thee not. Pick a hotel that is walking distance from the fair or public transportation to the fair.

The elephant in the room here is cost(s), but again there is strength in numbers.

Art fairs often offer discounted prices to non-profits; Honfleur Gallery in Anacostia often participates in The Affordable Art Fair in NYC and takes advantage of this special pricing. WPA participates (and has great success) at (e)merge and Hamiltonian is always somewhere in Miami.

Art fair prices are different depending on the fair. You can see the booth prices for the next Affordable Art Fair New York here. As you can see, you can actually get a booth for as low as $4600.

I'm my head I have this concept of having the selected Art League artists have a "financial stake" in this process by having them contribute some funds towards the art fair fees. Nothing works like putting your money where your mouth is. But then again, as a large organization, perhaps a more artist-friendly model would be for the Art League to cover all the art fair costs from a combination of jury entry fees and their own budget.

Of course, the Art League would also keep their usual commission on sales, so this also has a money-making angle for them.

What are the art fair costs? There are direct costs and associated costs.

Direct costs are:
(a) Cost of the basic booth
(b) Cost of additional booth stuff (extra walls, extra lights, storage)
(c) Some fairs have a "shared" advertising cost (AAFNYC doesn't)

Associated Costs are:
(a) Cost of required insurance (Art League would be able to use their current insurer or buy insurance directly from the art fair)
(b) Cost of transportation of the art. If using own vehicle, then also cost of parking it
(c) Cost of Art League staff at the fair (bus to NYC and shared hotel room and per diem for food)
(d) Cost of the juror to select the artists

Funding sources for all these costs are:
(a) Art League budget
(b) Nominal jurying fee for applying artists
(c) Commission on sales at the fair (this, of course, is putting the cart ahead of the horse)

Commercial galleries take huge chances at art fairs. My very first art fair all around cost was about $8,000 almost a decade ago - all that was charged on the gallery's credit card and we held our breath while at the fair. We sold about $30,000 worth of art, and thus after commissions to the artists we cleared $15,000 and paid off the credit card and then had $6,000 to put towards the next art fair fee.

I can count on one hand the number of times that we sold that much in any gallery art show in the DMV; and I've had a gallery here of one sort or another since 1996.

What's in it for the artists?

Usually a lot more than for the gallery. I will repeat this: more often than not, an artist reaps more good things out of an art fair than the gallery does.

These things include:
(a) Exposure to more art collectors, curators, press, etc. in a few days than in years of exhibiting art around the DMV. You will see more people in 4-5 days than in five years at a gallery in the DMV.
(b) Exposure to other galleries who may be interested in your work. I have multiple examples of this - Just ask DMV area artist Judith Peck what has happened to her career once she started showing at art fairs.
(c) A significantly higher chance of getting critical press.
(d) A significantly higher chance of getting your work noticed by both freelance and museum curators. The chance of getting your work noticed by a DMV museum curator is probably higher than the chance of winning the lottery. Most DMV area museum curators (AU's Jack Rasmussen being the brilliant exception) would rather take a cab to Dulles to fly to Miami to see emerging artists' works at fairs than taking a cab to see a gallery show in Georgetown.
(e) Being part of the art fair "wake effect" --- Read about that here.
(f) A much better chance to getting invited to participate in other shows such as university shows, themed-shows, group shows, etc. Ask Virginia artist Sheila Giolitti about that.

I hope that I've made my point, and I hope that some visual art groups and organizations are reading this.

Greater Reston Arts Center, Blackrock Center for the Arts, Touchstone, Gallery West, Art League, Washington Project for the Arts, Maryland Art Place, Multiple Exposures, Gallery 10, Washington Sculptors Group, VizArts, Artomatic, Waverly Street Gallery, DC Arts Center, DCCAH, Target Gallery, Torpedo Factory, Workhouse Arts Center, Art Gallery of Potomac, Rockville Art League, The Artists' Undertaking, Glen Echo... I'm looking at you.

39. Source: Daily Campello Art News

Item: Artist Talk
Date: 4 December 2013, 4:23 pm

Please join the Gateway CDC at the 39th Street Gallery for an artist talk with Pat Goslee on Sunday, Dec 15 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. Pat has been Gateway CDC's Artist in Residence for the past 4 months. Please join them to view Pat's work and hear about her process.

3901 Rhode Island Ave., Brentwood, MD 20722

(second floor, 39th Street entrance)

40. Source: Daily Campello Art News

Item: Miami bound... but a note about art fairs
Date: 1 December 2013, 9:53 pm

As I write this for later posting here, we're flying to Miami to participate in the annual Art Basel week of art fairs. As I've written many times before, this is the world's "big dance" when it comes to the visual arts; this is the big party and everyone is invited. However, it is a matter of getting here that's the issue.

Art fairs are very expensive. As I've noted before, many galleries risk everything to come to Miami, and I suspect that many are financially destroyed at the end of the week. And yet, many do well and return year after year.

Between my years with the Fraser Gallery and now with AAAP, we've been returning to Miami for many years now. Other DMV and regional galleries that keep coming back are my good buds at Connersmith, Hamiltonian, and Virginia's Mayer Fine Arts. They consistently take the financial risk and venture to Miami (and in some cases all over the US and Europe). Some newer participants are Morton Fine Arts and Adah Rose; both galleries did their first art fairs a year or two ago and both are enthusiastically now doing art fairs all over.

Others have tried a year or two, crashed and burn and never return to the party.

Is there a formula to this? What the the magic that makes this work for some and not for others?

I know of at least two galleries in the Mid Atlantic who have "financial backers" who absorb most or some of the financial risk involved in doing an art fair. Since these sort of galleries are very limited (who wouldn't love to have a financial backer?), they are the "outlayers" in the formula for clicking the right button in the art fair game.

Some non-profiits have the economic stability to play consistently in the art fair game; and to make it easier for them, many art fairs have special, lower pricing for non-profits. So they are also a special case, I think, because in most cases, the financial risk is absorbed by the state of their income-gathering to stay afloat as a non-profit.

It is a mystery to me why not more DMV area non-profits go to the art fairs. Hamiltonian is a notable exception, as is Honfleur Gallery in Anacostia. And the WPA does participate in our own (e)merge.

But I would submit that there are several area non-profits that could, and should participate in Miami and New York art fairs as part of their business model; if a local non-profit can afford to pay $70-$80,000 a year to its executive director (and several DMV non-profits are in that range), then it can certainly afford to budget $12-18K to participate in an art fair outside of the DMV. I think this anyway... As an outsider to the money shell game that running a non profit must be (I tip my hat to them).

I'm not saying that all visual arts non-profits should do this - I am sure that the mission of some of them are strictly focused on "local" only, rather than expanding their artistic presentations outside the capital region.

But that still leaves several key ones that (if I was the DMV art dictator) should be in NYC and Miami during art fair times.

This also applies to some of our large membership-based visual arts organizations and cooperative galleries, such as The Art League.

I'm a big fan of The Art League, and when I lived close to Alexandria I was a member for many years, and I have been honored multiple times by being selected as a juror for them.

And thus I am going to use them as an example, but this example applies to the multiple "other" art leagues, groups, clubs, cooperatives, etc. that exist around our region and which are important and significant components of our cultural tapestry. I could just as easily have picked the Rockville Art League, or the Reston Art League, Gallery West, Touchstone, Fairfax Art League, CHAW, etc.

The money part is always an issue, but when the money part can be divided into several (rather than one) entities, then the financial risk is reduced, because it is spread, rather than concentrated into one (the independent commercial gallery) bank account.

So let's proceed with this possible example using The Art League.

They have several thousand members and run a very successful and important program at their space inside the Torpedo Factory and assorted classrooms all over the area.

So the issue is, how does The Art League (again, you can fill in any of multiple DMV area membership-based art organizations) pick or select the 3-5 artists to take to an art fair?

The "good" art fairs are nearly always tightly juried. There are many art fairs where one just pays and anyone and everyone can go - those usually suck and in about a week or so, some DMV galleries and many DMV solo artists will unfortunately discover this.

And thus for Miami/NYC fairs I am thinking (in no particular order) about Art Miami, Context, Aqua, Pulse, NADA, Affordable Art Fair(s), Scope, Miami Project, Frieze... some of these are very, very hard to get in, but they're listed nonetheless, because there is a "food chain" of art fairs, and the bottom-feeders usually spell disaster for the participants.

And thus The Art League would need to establish a process to pre-jury its membership to 3-5 artists and apply with those artists to an art fair. I would start with The Affordable Art Fair in New York. They are close by and they are a "proven" fair. I have done it many times and consistently recommend it to any gallery that asks me about art fairs in general.

And thus redux The Art League would need to canvas their membership and find out who's interested in being juried for possible selection for further jurying into an art fair. I would make this process independent from the Art League itself - just like they do for their monthly juried shows, and have interested artists bring their work in to be juried by an independent juror.

That juror has to be a very special juror - in fact 98% of your standard-issue visual art juror (art professors, art critics, art writers, art center directors, artists, etc.) would guarantee a disaster to this process. In the DMV the jury pool for this process is very limited and its members are only those gallerists who have participated in multiple art fairs. In fact I can't think of anyone better to jury this part than me!

Back to the generic process... In the next post... Or soon... All DMV (and nationwide visual arts non profits/co-ops and clubs should be reading this...).

41. Source: Daily Campello Art News

Item: Northern VA Fine Arts Festival Deadline coming!
Date: 28 November 2013, 4:00 am

GRACE's terrific Northern VA Fine Arts Festival's deadline is coming! Applications close on Saturday, December 7, 2013.

The 2014 Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival will be held in the streets of Reston Town Center. The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival is produced by the Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) and is a competitive, juried, out-door event that showcases the best contemporary fine art and craft from around the country.

Details here.

42. Source: Daily Campello Art News

Item: Channeling Jackson Pollock
Date: 26 November 2013, 8:00 pm

As I noted earlier, recently I was approached by the chief curator for an outfit that is hired by firms all over the world to acquire artwork for their spaces. In this case this curator was acquiring art to include in the collection of a brand new luxury liner currently being built.

She wanted me to submit a proposal that fit a particular theme for one of the decks of the ship. I struggled with an idea that has been growing little by little in my brilliant mind... cough, cough.

Here's the proposal that I sent them:

In response to the request for an art proposal for _____________’s collection for the ship’s third deck along the theme “_______________” I hereby submit the following proposal. It should be noted that the concept is adaptable since it will be created specifically for this project.

“Rock, Paper, Scissors.” This work would be a mixed media piece with three embedded video components. The painting part of the work is a large, colorful drip painting done in the style of Jackson Pollock. Embedded in the piece are three video windows, which start as “part” of the painting (in other words, the video starts as a drip painting window as well, and at first sight it is just a continuation of the painting). After five seconds of the video windows being part of a Pollock-style painting, they all fade into three individual videos of (1) rock, (2) paper and (3) scissors. In all three cases the video will be customized to show a falling object (i.e. a rock, or a sheet of paper, or the scissors) falling in slow motion and bouncing on a hard surface. The video loops and starts all over again. The size of the piece is adaptable to the space, but will be framed under glass and requires access to electricity. The largest dimension that it can be is 40x60 inches.

A variation to this approach could be a Piet Mondrian approach, where one, two or three of a Piet Mondrian-style painting’s squares shift colors, thus forever showcasing an ever changing work. This can also be approached in the same “Rock, Paper, Scissors” playful idea discussed above; that is, three of the painting’s windows shift to videos of rock, paper, scissors.

Installation of this work requires access to US electric wall outlet standards, which all ships generally have. The electrical cord and connection will require an electrician to hard-wire the piece behind the wall, or it can also be channeled on the wall itself to the nearest electric outlet. The work comes with a remote control, which allows the piece to be turned off and on as desired.

The artwork and framing can all be done within the budget assigned for this project ($______ USD), and installation would be the responsibility of ________.

I am honored to be considered for this project. Please feel free to contact me at my cell (301/_______) or via email (lenny@lennycampello.com) if there are any questions.

After I submitted this proposal I decided to see if I could create a variant on the idea for the Miami art fairs... I will be at the CONTEXT Art Miami (within Art Miami) fair in Wynwood in booth E-82. In the variant, I've created a large painting in the style of Jackson Pollock, with a window in the middle where a video plays and shows that part of the painting (where the window has been cut) as it is being created... below is the video itself.

Below is the piece drying inside my studio in between layers of paints... note the window in the center...


And here is the work, still with the cut out window in place, but now with all the Pollockian layers of paint...

And below you can see several images of the finished piece with various parts of the video playing where the painting develops... some shot inside studio and one outside in bright sunhine... but behold "Channeling Jackson Pollock"

Channeling Jackson Pollock
Oil and embedded video on Gessoed Paper. 2013. 30x60 inches.

Enclosure

43. Source: Daily Campello Art News

Item: Grant for Latino/a artists
Date: 26 November 2013, 3:30 am

DEADLINE: 2/6/2014

The NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA) is a national grant program open to US-based Latino working artists, ensembles and Latino arts organizations that demonstrate artistic excellence in pursuit of social justice through the arts. To date, the NFA has awarded over one million dollars to a diverse range of artists and organizations representing every discipline and region of the country. Applying to the NFA is a benefit of NALAC Membership.

Details here.

44. Source: Daily Campello Art News

Item: Wanna find a place to draw?
Date: 21 November 2013, 7:35 pm

Looking for a chance to hone your figure drawing skills? Del Ray Artisans offers a range of open life drawing sessions for just this purpose. These sessions operate on a drop-in basis so there is no need to register in advance. Bring your supplies and join them at the gallery to draw or paint their live models. They don't supply easels - only plenty of chairs - but you are welcome to bring your own if you want to use one. All skill levels are welcome.

Gesture Sessions (two hours)
Come to the gesture sessions to loosen up and participate in a fun, fast-paced drawing experience. These two-hour sessions are composed primarily of multiple series of dynamic 1-5 minute poses. Occasionally they throw in a continuous motion drawing exercise to keep things interesting.

Short Pose Sessions (two hours)
Short pose sessions predominantly feature poses lasting 5-15 minutes. These sessions are a wonderful way to get in lots of drawing practice with a wide variety of poses.

Short/Long Pose Sessions (three hours)
The three-hour short/long pose sessions start with some short 1-5 minute warm-up poses and progressively move into longer poses lasting 10-45 minutes. These sessions provide a great opportunity to hone your drawing and observation skills.

Long Pose Sessions (three hours)
If you want to spend an extended amount of time on a pose, come to their long pose sessions. These sessions are generally be composed of two long poses with perhaps a few warm-ups at the start. Please no acrylics or oils; but pastels, watercolor and ink are welcome.

The fee for each three-hour session is $10 for Del Ray Artisans members and $12 for non-members. Two-hour sessions are $8 for members and $10 for non-members.

For session dates and times, visit their online calendar at calendar.TheDelRayArtisans.org. If you have any questions, please contact Katherine Rand at 703-836-1468 or LifeDrawing@TheDelRayArtisans.org.

45. Source: Daily Campello Art News

Item: Opportunity for Virginia Artists
Date: 18 November 2013, 7:16 pm

APPLICATION DEADLINE IS JUST TWO WEEKS AWAY!

VIRGINIA ARTISTS, the opportunity to make new waves in your art career is closing. The New Waves 2014 deadline is midnight December 1, 2013 - just two weeks away! If accepted, your work will be displayed co-currently with the Vik Muniz: Poetics of Perception exhibition, juried by Charles Moffett of Sotheby's AND you could win up to $2,000!

New Waves 2014 will celebrate its 19th year showcasing the Commonwealth's vast array of artistic talent, diversity of materials and approaches in contemporary art. The exhibition will run from January 31-April 27, 2014 co-currently with the Vik Muniz: Poetics of Perception exhibition.

Last year over 185 artists from across Virginia submitted work of which 33 were selected to show. Shaun Whiteside was awarded New Waves 2013 'Best in Show' for his Rise painting along with a cash prize. Past exhibiting New Waves artists have also been selected for solo shows at MOCA's new Satellite Gallery at Towne Pavilion II.

Charles Moffett of Sotheby's will be this year's honorary juror. Charles is presently the Head of the Afternoon Sale in the Contemporary Art Department at Sotheby's maintaining key client relationships throughout North America and Europe, securing consignments for auction, as well as private sales.

APPLY TODAY!

46. Source: KCRW's DnA: Design & Architecture

Item: Should Architects Design for Solitary Confinement?
Date: 20 August 2013, 5:24 pm

Raphael Sperry calls on architects to ban the design of cells for solitary confinement? Terry Karges explains why the Petersen Automotive Museum is changing gear.

Enclosure (mp3)

47. Source: AGO Art Matters

Item: Q&A: AGO artist-in-residence Sara Angelucci
Date: 2 December 2013, 10:54 am

Toronto-based artist Sara Angelucci is the AGO artist-in-residence from November 20, 2013, to January 20, 2014, and we’re so happy to share her work with you. Working primarily with photography, video and audio, Angelucci incorporates archival materials such as home movies, snapshots, and vintage portraits into her work and recently has turned her focus to research on endangered and extinct North American bird species.

Sara Angelucci, Aviary (Male Passenger Pigeon/extinct), 2013. C-print, 26 x 38 inches. © Sara Angelucci. Courtesy of the artist. 

During her time at the AGO, Angelucci will explore works from our Canadian collection, particularly those with Canadian nature, aviary and forestry subjects. She’s planned a number of initiatives that will activate this research and provide points of engagement for AGO visitors and for staff, including:

a performance in February entitled A Mourning Chorus and featuring a cappella singing that will explore the sounds of disappearing North American song-birds through the historic framework of women’s public mourning rituals;
the installation of two works from Angelucci’s Aviary from November to February 2014 in our Canadian galleries;
a Meet the Artist talk in January, when she will talk to artists Spring Hurlbut and Marla Hlady about their work; and
a panel discussion, also in January, entitled “Art & Ideas: A bird’s eye view on art & extinction,” to be followed by a three-course meal served in FRANK restaurant, specially prepared by executive chef Jeff Dueck in consultation with Angelucci.

(More details on these activities here.)

As Angelucci settles into the artist-in-residence studio in the Weston Family Learning Centre, we wanted to know what inspired these plans. Here, she offers insight into her practice and its relation to the environment, her fascination with birds and her approach to residencies.

AGO: Do you consider yourself an environmental activist/conservationist as well as an artist?
Sara Angelucci: It is unfair to the true activists out there to call myself that. But, like many people, I’m deeply concerned about what is happening to the environment and in recent years the problems seem to be accelerating as we see weather conditions around the world becoming more extreme.

Where did your interest in songbirds come from? Do you have a personal connection or did you grow interested in them through your practice/research?
I’ve always loved birds and thought they were beautiful. I think a number of things have brought me to thinking about them in a more focused way. I have been spending more isolated time in the countryside and watching them there. Also, in my recent photographic series Aviary I combined images of endangered and extinct North American birds (which I photographed in the ornithology collection at the ROM) with images of anonymous cartes-de-visite.

Although the process by which I came to making this connection is a long one to explain, I think there are interesting overlaps between the craze for collecting cartes-de-visite in the 19th century and the craze for collecting natural specimens. Aviaries become hugely popular at this time, as did taxidermy. The Victorian parlour was a place where both the photographic album and these specimens came together. With this project I’ve been doing a lot of reading on birds and the challenges they face today, which include habitat destruction and pesticides amongs other things.

Sara Angelucci, Aviary (Female Passenger Pigeon/extinct), 2013. C-print, 26 x 38 inches. © Sara Angelucci. Courtesy of the artist.

How do the actions of your residency — the installation of your Aviary portraits, the talks and special meal in FRANK, the chorus — relate to and inform one another?
All of these projects are an attempt to contemplate our relationship to the birds, and by way of extension, the natural world, in a directly embodied way. When we are implicated in a direct way, by combining images of the bird/human, through what we eat, or through the human voice, we cannot separate ourselves from nature. I feel very strongly that one of the reasons we are in such dire straits environmentally is that as humans we see ourselves as apart [from] or above nature. This disconnection is very dangerous for the earth, its species and, ultimately, for us and we are seeing its catastrophic implications.

Do you plan to continue to produce work related to these themes after your residency?
It’s hard to say. At the moment I am very focused on the projects at hand. It’s highly possible that I will, but I try not to get too far ahead of myself on projects.

You’ve done a number of residencies, at NSCAD (Halifax), the Banff Centre, and at Biz-Art in Shanghai – how does the AGO’s program differ from the others you’ve experienced? Did you do localized research during those residencies that influenced your practice afterward?
They have all been extremely different. In each case I have tried to think about what I can do which is special to that place, the people I encounter there and my interests. It sometimes takes a little while to figure that out.

The residency in Shanghai was in some ways the most challenging and so far the most fulfilling. China was a complete culture shock, and I was extremely jetlagged for a good week. So it took me some time to find my footing, and I couldn’t speak to many people. It was very interesting to be silent. You have to find different ways of communicating and making yourself understood. And you have to use keen observation to figure things out.

At the AGO I feel like I’m in luxury. There is so much going on at the gallery that I am invited to be a part of, and so much support for what I want to do. Everyone has been incredibly welcoming, and the resources at hand for an artist are amazing — from technical support to research and curatorial support. Also, it’s my hometown, so it is exciting to be sharing this experience with my family, students and friends as it is unfolding.

Visit Angelucci’s website to learn more about her and her body of work.

48. Source: AGO Art Matters

Item: Two more days of Bowie for AGO visitors
Date: 25 November 2013, 11:41 am

David Bowie is opening night. Photo by Dean Tomlinson/Art Gallery of Ontario.

Toronto can’t get enough of David Bowie. In response to overwhelming public demand, we’re extending the exhibition David Bowie is yet again, by two days, marking an unprecedented third round of extensions. Originally set to close this Wednesday, the exhibition will now run until Friday, Nov. 29, at 8:30 p.m.

Praised as “essential viewing for superfans” by blogTO, the smash hit exhibition from London’s acclaimed Victoria and Albert Museum was previously expanded twice to include evening hours on several weekdays and special Monday openings. Remaining hours for Bowie fans and pop-culture lovers to take in the experience include:

TODAY: Monday, Nov. 25 – special opening from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 26 – 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 27 – 10 a.m. to midnight
Thursday, Nov. 28 – 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and
Friday, Nov. 29 – 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Tickets are now on sale and can be booked in person, by phone at 416-979-6655 and online by visiting ago.net/david-bowie-is.

Regular-priced timed-entry tickets for David Bowie is are $21.50 for youth ages 17 and under, $26.50 for seniors and $30 for adults. Admission is FREE for AGO members and for children five and under.

49. Source: AGO Art Matters

Item: Conservation Notes: Tea with Diane Borsato
Date: 18 November 2013, 11:00 am

By Sherry Phillips, Conservator of Contemporary and Inuit Art

One of the six bone porcelain tea cups, English, dated approx. 1822-30.

Tea Service (Conservators will wash the dishes)
Early 19th-century tea cups were temporarily removed from the AGO’s collection in order to be used for tea tastings by museum staff. Together, a group of conservators, a registrar, an interpretive planner, a curator, an artist and an art critic drank out of the re-animated cups, experiencing them through all of their senses and through shared conversation.
Three types of tea were served: Bai Hao Yin Zhen white tea (China), Tung Ting oolong (Taiwan) and a dark, 2001 Lahu Wild Trees 1,000-year-old Pu-erh (China). Before and after the action, a museum conservator washed the dishes. The action was documented by photography.
—Diane Borsato

One of several meetings to determine if and how the cups would be used for the artwork.

Diane Borsato — artist, tea sommelier, beekeeper — brought her passion for tea and the culture around it to life in a unique way as part of her residency at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Her initial request was simple: could we allow a museum artifact to become a functional object again? Part of my role as the conservation contact for the residence/" target="_blank">Artist-in-Residence program is to try and help the group realize the artists’ ideas during their stay.

The discussion leading up to the proposed tea was more complex and richer than anything we anticipated.

Diane wished to use a tea set from the Grange collection and host a tea for a small group of staff members. Tea time is something of a tradition within the Canadian conservation community so it seemed to be a good, if unorthodox, fit. The tea would occur in the Conservation department, where she imagined “mischievous” conservators might be tempted to use a museum tea cup. She would choose a selection of teas, brew them appropriately and serve them to the group in the cups; it would be an hour of tea tasting, experience and dialogue.

Conservators Sherry Phillips and Maria Sullivan examine the glazing under the microscope.

Long before we could even approve the tea project, a group consisting of the artist, the registrar, the historical site coordinator of the Grange, the deputy director of collections, the manager of Conservation and the manager of Artist-in-Residence program met in the library of the Grange to chat about the project potential.

Is an imaginary line crossed when an object transitions from an everyday practical object to a museum artifact? What does it mean to take an object back across that line, to have it become a practical object again, even for a short time? The group’s thoughts ranged from strong discomfort bordering on refusal to a very measured approval based on research, history and application of certain conditions. The Grange collection is slightly unusual within an art gallery context but typical for an interpretive historic site. Many of the pieces were collected specifically to animate the house and have no connection to the original Boulton family. While there may be monetary value inherent in the object, the meaning of these six English bone china teacups and saucers (circa 1830) within the Grange context is minimal.

Conservator Sherry Phillips “washing the dishes.”

Regardless, the cups and saucers are accessioned objects and part of the history of the Grange and the early days of the AGO. They are fragile. There are cracks and open inclusions (trapped impurities) in the lead-based glazes. A sudden exposure to high heat could cause damage, or a simple accident during the tea could result in breakage. Our conversation staff discussed all this and more during the initial meeting but at the end the project was approved by the group.

The cups and saucers were brought to the Conservation department like any artifact — placed in a shallow box in their most stable orientation, protected by acid-free tissue and supported by weighted bags. They did not travel as teacups, cup upright and on a saucer. We examined the cups for stability, then cleaned in preparation for the tea.

Jennifer Fisher and Maria Sullivan smelling the pu-erh tea leaves.

The tea was a great success. Conversation was engaging, lively and ran the gamut from the history of china manufacture in England and Chinese export ware to the servant-employer relationship in 19th-century Toronto homes, the history of collecting in museums and definitions of value, to tea-drinking customs and tea production. Diane invited a special guest, critic and York University professor Jennifer Fisher, who will be writing about the experience.

So, was the tea and experience somehow transformed by the presence and use of the Grange teacups and saucers? Without a doubt. The act of drinking was slower and more deliberate because the delicate cups demanded it but also because we were aware of the value and uniqueness of the experience. The tea was clear, clean, fragrant and we savoured every drop. I couldn’t help but notice that all the conservators in the group would carefully cradle their cups in their hands and lean in over the table as they sipped — we couldn’t shake the compulsion to prevent potential object damage. Others in the group were no less careful but seemed to be able to drink in a manner more closely resembling the natural use of a teacup. It did feel mischievous, but it was also a privilege; a simple tea cup, a piece of tangible history, reanimated, became the conduit for meaningful dialogue about the tangible and intangible or traditions and customs associated with the cup and the beverage.

Diane Borsato (left) and the group.

There was the sense that we were the first people to drink from the cups in 40 years and that we may be the last. We pondered the people who may have used the cups before us and the people who made the cups 180 years ago. A simple tea cup led to the unanimous assertion that objects are a real link to history. We wanted to find balance between preservation, potential risk and the cultivation of contemporary relevance.

At one point in the planning process Diane remarked that we were trying to have Toronto’s most difficult cup of tea. It wasn’t a straightforward cup of tea, but for one hour it was also Toronto’s most interesting cup of tea.

Curious about Conservation?
If you have a burning question about Conservation, leave a comment below. We’ll do our best to give you an answer in an upcoming Conservation Notes post.

Signature Partner of the AGO’s Conservation Program

50. Source: AGO Art Matters

Item: Love photography? Join us for AGO First Thursdays on November 7
Date: 29 October 2013, 9:26 am

AGO Director and CEO Matthew Teitelbaum (left), with three of the four photographers shortlisted for the Aimia | AGO Photography Prize 2013: (l-r) Erin Shirreff, LaToya Ruby Frazier and Chino Otsuka, and President of Aimia Canada Inc., Vince Timpano.

On Nov. 7, join us at the Gallery to celebrate photography and congratulate the winner of the $50,000 Aimia | AGO Photography Prize. The announcement will take place at a special edition of the AGO’s monthly First Thursdays party series, which will be followed by a performance by Polaris Prize nominee Zaki Ibrahim. Tickets to the event are available now from ago.net and more details about the night’s programming are here.

All four nominees will be present for the announcement, which will feature special presentations by local personalities about each of the artists. In addition to the $50,000 grand prize, the winner will also receive a fully funded six-week residency in Canada. The three other finalists will each receive cash honorariums of $5,000 and artist residencies.

You’re also invited to unleash your inner photographer and share images of their favourite AGO spaces and features on Instagram. Photos hashtagged with #MyAGO will be displayed on screens all night long in Walker Court.

Visit the Prize’s website to watch videos featuring the artists in their studios, view their artwork and cast your vote. If you’re in Toronto, see the artists’ work up close in the Aimia | AGO Photography Prize 2013 Exhibition, on view at the AGO until Jan. 5, 2013.

51. Source: AGO Art Matters

Item: What’s On: Art Toronto 2013′s Opening Night Preview & AGO curator talk
Date: 22 October 2013, 9:39 am

Tom Sokoloski, All the Artists Are Here (rendering), 2013.

Art Toronto is Canada’s only international art fair, bringing together artists, collectors, curators and galleries from far and wide. As in previous years, Art Toronto’s Opening Night Preview, taking place Oct. 24, will raise funds for the Art Gallery of Ontario that help support our exhibition and education programs, with a portion of the proceeds going to purchase works of art at the fair. For example, the Gallery acquired three pieces at Art Toronto in 2007, 10 new works in 2010, and last year we picked up these three works, by artists Julia Dault, Stephen Andrews and Itee Pootoogook.

In addition to supporting the AGO, Opening Night Preview attendees also get to experience a special night that celebrates art with live performances and installations. This year’s event will feature:

Relating to Geography #2 (Toronto Art Fair) by Victoria Stanton and Johannes Zits, a video-projection performance presented in a series 15-minute “chapters” over a period of two hours. The piece — consisting of images projected upon various moving screens — draws from the pair’s performance this summer on Toronto Island entitled Embodying Nature: Relating to Geography (Island Version #1) and speaks to notions of connectedness, attentive presence, personal and collective memory and sense of place;
All the Artists Are Here by Thom Sokoloski, a suspended wall installation of black and white photo portraits of the artists that the public will see upon entering the fair. Passing through the installation, visitors can scan QR codes with their smartphones to learn more about the artists, their work, which gallery represents them and their booths’ locations at the fair; and
Disorganizers by Kurt Bigenho — presented by p|m Gallery — a Disorganized Fashion Collection worn by models wandering the fair. Pieces in the collection include a dress that can be inflated in seconds to provide more personal space, a series of masks that can be worn to “jam” facial recognition software, clothing that falls apart and a shirt that can be worn by multiple people at once, among others.

What can I do at the Opening Night Preview?
Guests get exclusive access to view and purchase works at the fair before it opens to the public. (Visit Art Toronto’s Artsy page to browse 2013 exhibitors.) Of course, it’s a party! So you will also have the opportunity to socialize with artists, collectors and art enthusiasts and enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

The Art Toronto 2013 Opening Night Preview takes place from 6:30 to 10 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2013, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (Special Collectors’ Preview is from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.). To book tickets click here.

TALK

The Art Gallery of Ontario not only houses fascinating collections, it is also the home to leading experts who love to share their passion for art. This year, the theme of the AGO booth is “curator picks” and so we tapped AGO curators about their favorite contemporary Canadian artists – the names they’re excited about and the artworks on their own personal wish lists. Join us for an intimate talk with three AGO curators and participating artists to learn what these tastemakers have to say about the contemporary Canadian art scene.

Date: Sunday, October 27th, 2013
Time: 12:00pm-1:00pm
Art Gallery of Ontario Art Toronto booth (#1408)
Metro Toronto Convention Centre

Presenting:
Andrew Hunter, Fredrik S. Eaton Curator, Canadian Art
Greg Humeniuk, Curatorial Assistant, Canadian
Sasha Suda, Associate Curator, European Art
Nick Ostoff, artist
Adam Markovic, artist

52. Source: AGO Art Matters

Item: In Photos: David Bowie’s late-’70s Pop stop in Toronto
Date: 21 October 2013, 2:29 pm

David Bowie, March 14, 1977, at the Seneca College Field House. Photo by Vince Carlucci.© Vince Carlucci

What does David Bowie look like in Toronto? The exhibition David Bowie is contains many images of the cultural icon in his many guises — including iconic portraits by Brian Duffy and Masayoshi Sukita — but getting to see him on stage in our hometown is a rare opportunity.

While living with Iggy Pop in Berlin, Bowie collaborated on two of Pop’s solo albums, The Idiot and Lust for Life, and also toured with him. In this guest post, photographer Vince Carlucci recalls a 1977 Pop concert at the Seneca College Field House in Toronto, when Bowie performed a rare supporting role. (Carlucci captured many stars around that time. In a post earlier this year, he shared photos from a late-’70s Patti Smith performance in the same venue.)

See more shots and Carlucci’s memories of the concert below.

Click to expand

“The photos depicted here were shot on March 14, 1977, at Seneca Field House, Toronto. This was Iggy Pop’s The Idiot tour, supporting his first album without the Stooges and the first of two albums to which David Bowie contributed songs and/or production. The following record, Lust For Life, was released in 1978.

“This is a rare moment in rock-and-roll history, where Mr. Bowie can be seen as a supporting or background musician, in a relatively small venue, compared to his own larger extravaganzas.

“There was a wild round of applause, shouting and general hooting as Bowie smiled and took his place behind the keyboards. Bowie sat with his back partially to the audience, hence snapping a good photo took some patience and manoeuvring. Two rock icons on the same stage in a small venue: a very special moment.”

All photos were taken on a Pentax SP1000 35 mm camera.
Film: Kodak Tri-X

53. Source: Photography Blog

Item: Anthony Kurtz Senegal Street Photography
Date: 6 November 2012, 7:44 am

Anthony Kurtz has unloaded some new work to his Behance profile called Senegal Street Photography

See the whole selection here

Enclosure

54. Source: Photography Blog

Item: Vikas Vasudev Photography
Date: 26 October 2012, 9:42 am

Vikas Vasudev is a photographer from Mumbai, India who has taken some great shots on his journey to a remote forgotten land called Baltistan, deep on the edge of northern India.

See the full set here

Enclosure

55. Source: Photography Blog

Item: Wie Gand Photography
Date: 19 October 2012, 9:04 am

Wie Gand have some very creative photography work in their portfolio, these which I guess I'd call 'Urban Detail' photography were my faves:

Enclosure

56. Source: Photography Blog

Item: Matthias Haker Decay Photography
Date: 15 October 2012, 11:33 am

Matthias Haker has some amazing shots of pretty amazing places, the set is called decay and some of the colours are stunning:

Full portfolio here

Enclosure

57. Source: World Art News at IrishArt.com

Item: Lowry Art Trickery?
Date: 3 March 2009, 2:23 pm

Wigan Today reports that an art lover from Cheshire accused of tricking a dealer into buying a fake LS Lowry has told a court he thought the painting was genuine. Maurice Taylor - who calls himself Lord Taylor Windsor after buying the title on the internet for £1,000 - sold the Mill Street scene to businessman David Smith during a meeting in a Ritz hotel room in 2007. Mr Smith, managing director of Neptune Fine Arts, paid over £230,000 before discovering the work was bogus. Taylor, 60, who lives in a mansion near Congleton, had bought the snowy scene featuring matchstick-style figures three years earlier through friend and Lowry expert Ivan Aird. Mr Aird acted as an agent for the previous owner Martin Heaps who, the crown say, sold the picture for £7,500 with an invoice describing it as "After Lowry" because it was created by artist Arthur Delaney. Prosecuting at Chester Crown Court, Sion Ap Mihangel, said Taylor knew the picture was fake, invented history to boost its provenance, and doctored the invoice so it appeared he was sold a genuine work. Taylor admitted telling his buyer and auctioneers Bonhams he bought the painting several decades earlier from industrialist Eddie Rosenfeld. He said he did not know why he lied but claimed Mr Aird asked him not to say he bought the painting through him. He said Mr Aird told him the painting was genuine and said: "When he sold me that picture there was never a question in his mind. I didn't question him, he told me it was original." A team of experts from Bonhams later assessed the work and were taken in by it. They provided a £600,000 insurance valuation and laid on the red carpet treatment, hoping Taylor would sell it through them. Mr Mihangel said Taylor acquired the Bonhams valuation to strengthen his selling position and to ensure a private sale. Taylor denies denies six counts of fraud and one of forging an invoice. The trial continues. (For full source and full article click the Headline). Irish Art

58. Source: World Art News at IrishArt.com

Item: Caged Art Recognised
Date: 1 March 2009, 5:44 am

The New York Times reports that 1974 Tehching Hsieh, a young Taiwanese performance artist working as a seaman, walked down the gangplank of an oil tanker docked in the Delaware River and slipped into the United States. His destination: Manhattan, center of the art world. Once there, though, Mr. Hsieh found himself ensnared in the benumbing life of an illegal immigrant. With the downtown art scene vibrating around him, he eked out a living at Chinese restaurants and construction jobs, feeling alien, alienated and creatively barren until it came to him: He could turn his isolation into art. Inside an unfinished loft, he could build himself a beautiful cage, shave his head, stencil his name onto a uniform and lock himself away for a year. Thirty years later Mr. Hsieh’s “Cage Piece” is on display at the Museum of Modern Art as the inaugural installation in a series on performance art. But formal recognition of Mr. Hsieh (pronounced shay), who is now a 58-year-old American citizen with spiky salt-and-pepper hair, has been a long time coming. For decades he was almost an urban legend, his harrowing performances — the year he punched a time clock hourly, the year he lived on the streets, the year he spent tethered by a rope to a female artist — kept alive by talk. This winter, owing to renewed interest in performance art, new passion for contemporary Chinese art and the coinciding interests of several curators, Mr. Hsieh’s moment of recognition has arrived from many directions at once. The one-man show at MoMA runs through May 18. The Guggenheim is featuring his time-clock piece in “The Third Mind: American Artists Contemplate Asia, 1860-1989” through April 19. M.I.T. Press is about to release “Out of Now,” a large-format book devoted to his “lifeworks.” And United States Artists, an advocacy organization, has awarded Mr. Hsieh $50,000, his first grant. He is gratified by the exhibitions. But he judges the book, which is 384 pages and weighs almost six pounds, to be the definitive ode to his artistic career. “Because of this book I can die tomorrow,” said Mr.Hsieh. (For full source and full article click the Headline). Irish Art

59. Source: World Art News at IrishArt.com

Item: "Nazi" Picasso's Stay In NY
Date: 10 February 2009, 4:42 am

Time/CNN reports that it may have been possible for Picasso's boy to lead that horse without a rein, but it appears that the Museum of Modern Art didn't have the famous painting on as tight a leash as you might have thought. For more than a year that 1906 picture, one of the high points of MoMA's art collection, has been the focus of a Holocaust restitution fight that also involved another Picasso, Le Moulin de la Galette, this one hanging at the Guggenheim. Yesterday both museums settled out of court with three plaintiffs seeking return of the paintings, which they claim had been relinquished under duress by their Jewish owner in the 1930s. As with most settlements the details of this one are sealed, so we may never know whether or how much money changed hands. And by itself the mere fact that the two art museums chose to settle doesn't mean they didn't have faith in their own arguments. (Or, for that matter, that the plaintiffs didn't have faith in their's.) But jury trials are a crapshoot and for the museums at least, the paintings were too important to lose. (For full source and full article click the Headline). Irish Art

60. Source: World Art News at IrishArt.com

Item: Joe Boyle's Art at Waterfront Hall, Belfast
Date: 25 January 2009, 5:10 pm

There is a small number of artists that savvy Irish Art collectors should carefully track in 2009 - and Joe Boyle (a previous Conor Prize Winner at the Royal Ulster Academy) - is one of them. This Belfast Waterfront exhibition fuses three themes. The first is Boyle's response to a trip to China investigating 17th century dry brush calligraphy combined with Chinese contemporary aspiration for a western iconography. The second is the notion that the fragment can intentionally signify the whole - as part of an ancient object may be considered a work of art - despite that not being the original artistic intention. In this exploration Boyle chooses the Eye as the part that signifies the whole in a meaningful manner - presenting an opportunity to explore different ways of seeing aspects of change in Irish Society. The final theme is a response to Landscape which employs notions of metaphor, edge and parameter to explore emotions which we experience and are challenged by what is often a familiar and sometimes threatening environment. Joe Boyle - Solo Gallery 2 Waterfront Hall 2 Lanyon Place, Belfast Tel: 028 9033 4400 Opens Tuesday 3rd February (7pm- 9pm) until 27th February 2009 Irish Art

61. Source: World Art News at IrishArt.com

Item: Irish Art Thieves Took Taxi
Date: 10 November 2008, 12:43 am

Bungling Irish art thieves led Gardai to their door last weekend when they brought their loot home in a taxicab. Two men were apprehended at a residence in Kilmore following the theft of three paintings. It is believed that the thieves were easily located after they hired a taxi to ferry them, and two of the paintings home following the robbery. According to Gardai a plate glass window in Greenacres was smashed and paintings removed from the display. Gardai this week said that while investigations into the matter are 'not yet complete', they are 'not looking for anyone else in connection with the matter'. (For full source and full article click the Headline). Irish Art

62. Source: Royal Academy Events

Item: Public Building? Challenges and Opportunities - Talks - 13 Jan 2014
Date: 9 December 2013, 7:18 am

The RA has teamed up with Building Design magazine and the ‘Architect of the Year Awards’ to invite some of the winners to discuss emerging trends in contemporary architecture.

In this event, we explore the challenges faced in creating public buildings and their sometimes complex relationships to the institutions they house and represent.

Speakers include Niall McLaughlin, Duggan Morris and Gort Scott.

6.30–8pm

63. Source: Royal Academy Events

Item: Shaping the Future: Spaces for Education - Talks - 20 Jan 2014
Date: 9 December 2013, 7:17 am

The RA has teamed up with Building Design magazine and the ‘Architect of the Year Awards’ to invite some of the winners to discuss emerging trends in contemporary architecture.

In this event, we consider the increasingly innovative approaches being developed to overcome the complex challenges of designing educational buildings that will stand the test of time.

Speakers include Philip Marsh of dRMM, Simon Allford of

64. Source: Royal Academy Events

Item: Renaissance Impressions: an Introduction - Talks - 17 Mar 2014
Date: 14 November 2013, 10:54 am

A lecture by Arturo Galansino, exhibition curator, in support of the 'Renaissance Impressions: Chiaroscuro woodcuts from the Collections of Georg Baselitz and the Albertina, Vienna' exhibition.

1–2pm; doors open at 12.30pm; no entry after 1pm.

Please arrive before 12:50pm at which point any pre-booked seats that are unclaimed will be released. These released seats will be made available to those waiting at the door of the lecture; however, we cannot guarantee that there will be...

65. Source: Royal Academy Events

Item: Experimental Art, Beautiful Science: Olafur Eliasson - Talks - 31 Mar 2014
Date: 14 November 2013, 10:53 am

A lecture by Professor Dr. Philip Ursprung, Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture, ETH Zurich, in support of the Sensing Spaces: Architecture Reimagined exhibition.

1–2pm; doors open at 12.30pm; no entry after 1pm.

Please arrive before 12:50pm at which point any pre-booked seats that are unclaimed will be released. These released seats will be made available to those waiting...

66. Source: Royal Academy Events

Item: Sensing Architecture - Conferences and Symposia - 29 Mar 2014
Date: 28 October 2013, 10:06 am

CALL FOR PAPERS
Deadline 16 December 2013

‘A great building … must begin with the unmeasurable, must go through measurable means when it is being designed, and in the end must be unmeasurable.’ – Louis Kahn

‘When something is new to us, we treat it as an experience. We feel that our senses are awake and clear. We are alive.’ – Jasper Johns

‘An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion...

67. Source: Indianapolis Museum of Art Blog

Item: Oscar Tusquets Blanca – The Gaulino Chair
Date: 16 August 2013, 3:21 pm

Oscar T. Blanca, designer (Spanish, b. 1941), B.D. Barcelona Designs, manufacturer
Gaulino Armchair, 1987
Indianapolis Museum of Art, Robertine Daniels Art Fund in Memory of Her Late Husband, Richard Monroe Fairbanks Sr., and Her Late Son, Michael Fairbanks, 2013.4

Oscar Tusquets Blanca (who prefers we use both surnames) was born in 1941. The Barcelona native trained as an architect and began working as a designer of furniture and objects in 1972 with BD (Barcelona Design). Since then he has won several award,s including the Spanish National Design Award. Tusquets Blanca designed the Gaulino chair in 1987 and it is a prime example of Spanish design and functional art. Every angle of the Gaulino chair has beautiful complex lines bringing joy to your eyes as you follow along its subtle, sculptural curves. This is the result of his friendship with Salvador Dali and his interests in painting and writing. It seems clear he was also inspired by Antoni Gaudi and Carlo Mollino for which he named the chair.

The Gaulino chair, winner of the 1989 Industrial Design Prize, has a handmade appearance yet it was his first industrial project in wood. Its structure is made of solid ash and is available in a natural varnish, oak stain or black stain. The oak seat can be upholstered in black, natural, or honey leather. It can be stacked, but what a crime that would be! This is a gorgeous piece that I want to sit in, touch, and be close to in order to study every detail. The anamorphic shapes speak to me and fascinate me. I am not surprised to learn that Tusquets Blanca considers this chair one of his best works. The Gaulino chair is now a part of the Design Arts permanent collection at the IMA.

— Marika Klemm, ASID, Marika Designs, LLC

Tusquets Blanca’s Gaulino chair is an inspired mix of masculine and feminine lines. It may be a dining chair but I prefer to see it as a stand-alone chair that exudes an international design ethos of beauty and functionality. At first glance, the Gaulino chair has a masculine stance on the floor that dares you to have a seat. Yet its machismo belies the feminine, almost sensual, lines of the seat and arms which draw you in and seal the deal. Some will use the Gaulino with the matching table. Others will place it in any room as a side chair to add a sophisticated, sublime and lean design element for the occasional aperitif, but I would use it as the ultimate desk chair, in black, at a small writing desk.

— Michael Lubarsky, DAS Member

Enclosure (jpg)

68. Source: Indianapolis Museum of Art Blog

Item: Straw Bale Gardening: A How-To Guide
Date: 5 June 2013, 9:00 am

1. Start with a bale of Straw.

2. Saturate it with water for about 3 days.

3. Sprinkle the top of the bale with 1/2 cup granular nitrogen fertilizer and continue watering, adding 1/2 cup fertilizer for the next 3 days. Then for the next 3 days only add 1/4 cup fertilizer and water.

4. On day 10, begin digging 3 holes in the the top of the bale, a little larger than the plant pot diameter. Then fill the holes with potting soil or compost, or a combination, and water gently.

A straw bale with dirt filled in the holes

Be sure to dig your holes slightly larger than the plant pot diameter

5. When the soil is no longer hot to the touch, plant and water gently. Clean gallon milk jugs with their bottoms removed make a good cloche if the temperature drops suddenly!

6. Continue watering gently and occasionally add dilute fertilizer or compost tea about once per week. The continued watering will leach the fertilizer out.

Advantages to Straw Bale Gardening

Easier (raised) for folks with limited mobility
Useful if your garden soil is poor
Useful if you have little or no soil in which to garden
Virtually no weeding (Don’t use hay bales!)
Don’t have to rotate crops, use a fresh bale each year
At season’s end, provides great compost for rest of garden

Possible Disadvantages to Straw Bale Gardening

May look a little messy as the bale decomposes
Bales dry out quickly, so ultimately may use too much water…jury is still out on this one

Enclosure (jpg)

69. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Painting

Item: Kaori Ogishima “The Embodiment of the Mind”

Kaori Ogishima “The Embodiment of the Mind”
at The Sato Museum of Art (Shinjuku area)
(2013-11-12 - 2013-12-15)

Born in 1979 in Fukuoka Kaori Ogishima is a contemporary painter who embodies the instability and discord faced in today’s society through the image of various animals, with a unique balance of humor and gravity. Ogashima was the recipient of the 7th Tag Boat Tomio Koyama Award and has since gone from strength to strength to become a much anticipated artist. [Related Event] Talk Show Kaori Ogishima x Kei Tatejima (Director of The Sato Museum of Art) Date: 17th November(Sun) 14:00-15:00 Workshop - Original Animal Cards Date: 24th November(Sun) 14:00-16:00 Speaker: Kaori Ogishima

70. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Painting

Item: Bernard Buffet Exhibition

Bernard Buffet Exhibition
at Galerie Tamenaga (Ginza, Marunouchi area)
(2013-11-06 - 2013-12-21)

The major 20th century painter Bernard Buffet (1928–1999) established himself in the art world in 1948 by winning a critics’ award considered to be a gateway to artistic success. This exhibition presents more than 40 works spanning his career, from his early period through his late years. [Image: Bernard Buffet “Bateaux” (1972) Oil on canvas 89×130 cm]

71. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Painting

Item: Great Masters of Japanese Painting: Taikan, Shunso, Gyokudo, and Seiho

Great Masters of Japanese Painting: Taikan, Shunso, Gyokudo, and Seiho
at MOA Museum of Art (Greater Tokyo area)
(2013-11-15 - 2013-12-24)

The Meiji Restoration brought about both modernization and Westernization in Japan. In the world of painting, Western techniques were adopted and Western-style paintings became dominant. Modern Nihonga, or Japanese-style paintings, took a tradition-based approach and succeeded in creating many expressions centered on the Japanese concept of beauty while seeking a fresh new mode of expression suited to this revolutionary period. This exhibition displays 50 Nihonga from the museum’s collection produced between the Taisho and early-Showa periods, including the works of great painters such as Yokoyama Taikan and Hishida Shuso of the Nihon Bujutsuin (The Japan Art Institute), Takeuchi Seiho of the Kyoto art world, and Uemura Shoen and Ito Shinsui of the Bijinga (beautiful women painting) aritsts. This is an opportunity to enjoy the fascination of contemporary Nihonga at the height of its prosperity. [Image: Taikan Yokoyama “Night Rain in the Xiao-Xiang” (1948)

72. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Painting

Item: Kiyomi Sato “Otome Game”

Kiyomi Sato “Otome Game”
at Bakuro-cho ART + EAT (Bakurocho area)
(2013-12-03 - 2013-12-26)

Images of young girls inlaid on polished metallic bases by the award-winning artist Kiyomi Sato.

73. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Painting

Item: Koutaro Inoue + Hiro Tsuchiya + Ikumi Nakayama “Winter Show”

Koutaro Inoue + Hiro Tsuchiya + Ikumi Nakayama “Winter Show”
at Koki Arts (Bakurocho area)
(2013-11-29 - 2013-12-28)

Presenting new paintings by Sompo Japan Art Award Face 2014 Special Jury Prize winner Koutaro Inoue, the first showing at a commercial gallery for Tokyo Zokei University BFA candidate Hiro Tsuchiya, and new works from the “Water Drops” series of 2011 Tokyo Wonder Wall Prize winner Ikumi Nakayama.

74. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Painting

Item: Kanako Ohya “Garden Landscape”

Kanako Ohya “Garden Landscape”
at hpgrp Gallery Tokyo (Omotesando, Aoyama area)
(2013-12-05 - 2013-12-29)

Kanako Ohya is an award winning artist who has been made recipient of the 2008 Gunma Biennale For Young Artists Award, the 2009 28th Sompo Japan Art Award and was also selected for the 2013 VOCA award exhibition. In this show Ohya showcases a collection of work inspired but the landscapes of her travels, and the everyday memories and experiences which come to form “my own garden”, expressed in ambivalent images which can not be pinned to a particular time or place, with warm colors and quiet insight. [Image: Kanako Ohya]

75. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Painting

Item: Celestial Dance: The Art of Hiten

Celestial Dance: The Art of Hiten
at Suntory Museum of Art (Roppongi, Nogizaka area)
(2013-11-23 - 2014-01-14)

Buddhist angels that fly and dance in the sky are known as “Hiten,” and from India to Japan, their elegant and magnificent forms have delighted people for centuries. This exhibition examines the forms of Hiten as they have manifested in sculpture, painting, and craft across wide geographical and historical ranges. It features a special display of sculptures depicting “Bodhisattva Riding Clouds” from the Phoenix Hall of the Byodoin Temple ahead of the hall’s unveiling after extensive renovations. Also on display is Byodoin’s sculpture of Hiten attached to the halo of Amidanyorai, the first time for this work to be shown outside of the temple grounds. The Bodhisattva, Amidanyorai, and the Phoenix Hall itself are all designated as National Treasures. This exhibition is an extremely rare opportunity to see these famous pieces up close.

76. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Painting

Item: “Tatsukichi Fujii Retrospective - Craft which Flowers in the Fields, Painting which Shines in the Sky”

“Tatsukichi Fujii Retrospective - Craft which Flowers in the Fields, Painting which Shines in the Sky”
at Utsunomiya Museum of Art (Greater Tokyo area)
(2013-11-17 - 2014-01-19)

Tatsukichi Fujii was a pioneer of modern Japanese craft, breaking free from the established principles of craftsmanship to reach towards a freer form of expression, always in pursuit of the new. This exhibition provides an overview of his impressively wide artistic practice which extended across embroidery, dyeing, metal work, wood work, ceramics, paper making, nihonga, oil painting and book binding, providing an opportunity to reassess his ground breaking work. [Image: Tatsukichi Fujii (1916)]

77. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Painting

Item: Chihiro Watanabe “Our Lady of Seville Reprint”

Chihiro Watanabe “Our Lady of Seville Reprint”
at Nerima Art Museum (Musashino, Tama area)
(2013-11-30 - 2014-02-09)

Commissioned by what is now the city of Minamishimabara in Nagasaki Prefecture in 1996, Chihiro Watanabe reprinted the late-16th century copper engraving “Our Lady of Seville” and wrote an award-winning book about the process. She continued the multi-faceted process of spiritual artistic creation until her death in 2009. This exhibition focuses on her reprint of “Our Lady of Seville” and also introduces her other works. [Related Events] Guest Talk Speaker: Tadayoshi Nakabayashi (print maker, Tokyo University of Arts professor emeretis) Date: 12/21 (Sat) 14:00–15:00 Please see the official website for details and information on more related events. [Image: Chihiro Watanabe “Our Lady of Seville Reprint” (1996) 23.0x7.5 cm]

78. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Painting

Item: “Hoki Museum Award Exhibition Vol. 1”

poster for “Hoki Museum <span style= Award Exhibition Vol. 1”" />
“Hoki Museum Award Exhibition Vol. 1”
at Hoki Museum (Greater Tokyo area)
(2013-11-15 - 2014-05-18)

Showcasing 56 selected works from the first Hoki Museum Award competition, including the grand prize winner Makoto Yamamoto’s intimate depictions of women, along with Akiko Kawarada’s tracing through history and memory through the image of her grandmother, as well as the work of Makoto Ogiso　exploring embodiments of life and death. [Image: Makoto Yamamoto “Memories of April 3rd”]

79. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Painting

Item: 2D Work Award Winners Exhibition

2D Work Award Winners Exhibition
at Tokyo Wonder Wall (Shinjuku area)
(2013-10-10 - 2014-09-29)

12 artists selected for the Wonder Wall Award from 479 competitors present their work in a relay of solo exhibitions held between October 2013 - September 2014, with an artist talk held each month. Exhibition Schedule Chie Sannami Exhibition Period: 10th October-31st October Opening Talk: 10th October 17:30-18:30 Issei Nishimura Exhibition Period: 7th November-28th November Tsuyoshi Matsunami Exhibition Period: 5th December-26th December Opening Talk: 5th December 17:30-18:30 Mayu Hirota Exhibition Period: 9th January-30th Janurary Opening Talk: 9th January 17:30-18:30 Momi Abe Exhibition Period: 6th February- 27th February Opening Talk: 6th February 17:30-18:30 Shizuka Mitsui Exhibition Period: 6th March-28th March Opening Talk: 6th March 17:30-18:30 Eijiro Saito Exhibition Period: 10th April-30th April Opening Talk: 10th April 17:30-18:30 Saiko Kasajima Exhibition Period: 8th May-29th May Opening Talk: 8th May 17:30-18:30 Hiroaki Ito Exhibition Period: 5th June-26th June Opening Talk: 5th June 17:30-18:30 Narumi Sasaki Exhibition Period: 3rd July-25th July Opening Talk: 3rd July 17:30-18:30 Nanako Mukai Exhibition Period: 7th August-28th August Opening Talk: 7th August 17:30-18:30 Shiro Ishibashi Exhibition Period: 4th September-29th September Gallery Talk: 11th September 12:15-13:00

80. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Painting

Item: “Shell Art Award”

poster for “Shell Art <span style= Award”" />
“Shell Art Award”
at The National Art Center, Tokyo (Roppongi, Nogizaka area)
(2013-12-11 - 2013-12-23)

Showcasing award winning and selected works from the Shell Art Award. Venue: 1F Exhibition Space 1B [Image: Koichi Muto “Dearth” 2013 acrylic on canvas 162×162cm] [Related Event] Award Winning Artists’ Talk Date: 14th December(Sat) 14:00-15:00 Speakers: Kunio Motoe, Kenjiro Hosaka and 7 award winners

81. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Painting

Item: “Inten”

“Inten”
at Sogo Museum of Art (Yokohama, Kanagawa area)
(2013-12-12 - 2013-12-28)

A collection of award winning works and special selections from artists connected with Kanagawa prefecture, in a total display of 91 pieces. [Related Events] Gallery Talk and Signing Artist: Toshio Matsuo Date: 14th December(Sat) 14:00- Admission: Free (museum entrance ticket required) Gallery Talk and Signing Artist: Sawato Fukui Date: 21st December(Sat) 14:00- Admission: Free (museum entrance ticket required)

82. Source: AGO Art Matters

Item: Q&A: AGO artist-in-residence Sara Angelucci
Date: 2 December 2013, 10:54 am

Sara Angelucci, Aviary (Male Passenger Pigeon/extinct), 2013. C-print, 26 x 38 inches. © Sara Angelucci. Courtesy of the artist. 

a performance in February entitled A Mourning Chorus and featuring a cappella singing that will explore the sounds of disappearing North American song-birds through the historic framework of women’s public mourning rituals;
the installation of two works from Angelucci’s Aviary from November to February 2014 in our Canadian galleries;
a Meet the Artist talk in January, when she will talk to artists Spring Hurlbut and Marla Hlady about their work; and
a panel discussion, also in January, entitled “Art & Ideas: A bird’s eye view on art & extinction,” to be followed by a three-course meal served in FRANK restaurant, specially prepared by executive chef Jeff Dueck in consultation with Angelucci.

(More details on these activities here.)

Sara Angelucci, Aviary (Female Passenger Pigeon/extinct), 2013. C-print, 26 x 38 inches. © Sara Angelucci. Courtesy of the artist.

Visit Angelucci’s website to learn more about her and her body of work.

83. Source: AGO Art Matters

Item: Two more days of Bowie for AGO visitors
Date: 25 November 2013, 11:41 am

David Bowie is opening night. Photo by Dean Tomlinson/Art Gallery of Ontario.

TODAY: Monday, Nov. 25 – special opening from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 26 – 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 27 – 10 a.m. to midnight
Thursday, Nov. 28 – 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and
Friday, Nov. 29 – 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Tickets are now on sale and can be booked in person, by phone at 416-979-6655 and online by visiting ago.net/david-bowie-is.

84. Source: AGO Art Matters

Item: Conservation Notes: Tea with Diane Borsato
Date: 18 November 2013, 11:00 am

By Sherry Phillips, Conservator of Contemporary and Inuit Art

One of the six bone porcelain tea cups, English, dated approx. 1822-30.

Tea Service (Conservators will wash the dishes)
Early 19th-century tea cups were temporarily removed from the AGO’s collection in order to be used for tea tastings by museum staff. Together, a group of conservators, a registrar, an interpretive planner, a curator, an artist and an art critic drank out of the re-animated cups, experiencing them through all of their senses and through shared conversation.
Three types of tea were served: Bai Hao Yin Zhen white tea (China), Tung Ting oolong (Taiwan) and a dark, 2001 Lahu Wild Trees 1,000-year-old Pu-erh (China). Before and after the action, a museum conservator washed the dishes. The action was documented by photography.
—Diane Borsato

One of several meetings to determine if and how the cups would be used for the artwork.

The discussion leading up to the proposed tea was more complex and richer than anything we anticipated.

Conservators Sherry Phillips and Maria Sullivan examine the glazing under the microscope.

Conservator Sherry Phillips “washing the dishes.”

Jennifer Fisher and Maria Sullivan smelling the pu-erh tea leaves.

Diane Borsato (left) and the group.

Curious about Conservation?
If you have a burning question about Conservation, leave a comment below. We’ll do our best to give you an answer in an upcoming Conservation Notes post.

Signature Partner of the AGO’s Conservation Program

85. Source: AGO Art Matters

Item: Love photography? Join us for AGO First Thursdays on November 7
Date: 29 October 2013, 9:26 am

86. Source: AGO Art Matters

Item: What’s On: Art Toronto 2013′s Opening Night Preview & AGO curator talk
Date: 22 October 2013, 9:39 am

Tom Sokoloski, All the Artists Are Here (rendering), 2013.

Relating to Geography #2 (Toronto Art Fair) by Victoria Stanton and Johannes Zits, a video-projection performance presented in a series 15-minute “chapters” over a period of two hours. The piece — consisting of images projected upon various moving screens — draws from the pair’s performance this summer on Toronto Island entitled Embodying Nature: Relating to Geography (Island Version #1) and speaks to notions of connectedness, attentive presence, personal and collective memory and sense of place;
All the Artists Are Here by Thom Sokoloski, a suspended wall installation of black and white photo portraits of the artists that the public will see upon entering the fair. Passing through the installation, visitors can scan QR codes with their smartphones to learn more about the artists, their work, which gallery represents them and their booths’ locations at the fair; and
Disorganizers by Kurt Bigenho — presented by p|m Gallery — a Disorganized Fashion Collection worn by models wandering the fair. Pieces in the collection include a dress that can be inflated in seconds to provide more personal space, a series of masks that can be worn to “jam” facial recognition software, clothing that falls apart and a shirt that can be worn by multiple people at once, among others.

TALK

Date: Sunday, October 27th, 2013
Time: 12:00pm-1:00pm
Art Gallery of Ontario Art Toronto booth (#1408)
Metro Toronto Convention Centre

87. Source: AGO Art Matters

Item: In Photos: David Bowie’s late-’70s Pop stop in Toronto
Date: 21 October 2013, 2:29 pm

David Bowie, March 14, 1977, at the Seneca College Field House. Photo by Vince Carlucci.© Vince Carlucci

See more shots and Carlucci’s memories of the concert below.

Click to expand

“This is a rare moment in rock-and-roll history, where Mr. Bowie can be seen as a supporting or background musician, in a relatively small venue, compared to his own larger extravaganzas.

All photos were taken on a Pentax SP1000 35 mm camera.
Film: Kodak Tri-X

88. Source: Exhibitions - Philadelphia Museum of Art

Item: Vermeer’s Young Woman Seated at a Virginal
Date: 26 October 2013, 12:00 am

October 26, 2013 - March 2014: Vermeer painted less than forty pictures during his career and this one, Young Woman Seated at a Virginal, is believed to be one of his last. It is also the only remaining canvas by this great Dutch master to be in private hands. The Museum is immensely grateful to the Leiden Collection for the exceedingly rare opportunity to display this work; indeed, it has been almost ten years since a painting by Vermeer has been on view in Philadelphia.

89. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Photography

Item: 2013 Fujifilm Commercial Photography Contest Winner’s Exhibition

2013 Fujifilm Commercial Photography Contest Winner’s Exhibition
at Fujifilm Square (Roppongi, Nogizaka area)
(2013-12-06 - 2013-12-12)

Presenting “Photographer Suda,” the work of Hisashi Onuki selected from 11,190 submissions from across Japan as the winner of the 50th Fujifilm Commercial Photography Contest. The work was chosen for its bold composition and use of light as a portrait of masculinity and a dialogue drawing out the unique individuality of its subject with a fresh and dynamic approach. Venue: Photo Salon Space 1 [Image: Hisashi Onuki “Photographer Suda”]

90. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Photography

Item: Taiji Matsue “TYO-WTC”

Taiji Matsue “TYO-WTC”
at NADiff a/p/a/r/t (Ebisu, Daikanyama area)
(2013-11-04 - 2013-12-15)

On display “TYO 101354,” Taiji Matsue’s latest image series taken since 2010. These works have been called “moving photographs,” as they initially appear to be still but when looked at more closely a reveal themselves to be eye-catching moving images with changing details. Working both as photographs and film, they question the boundaries between the two media, presenting new surprises in the act of viewing. [Related Event] Talk Commemorating the Publication of Taiji Matsue’s Photo Book “TYO–WTC” Speakers: Taiji Matsue and Masashi Kohara (Izu Photo Museum researcher) Date: 11/4 (Mon, holiday) 17:00–19:00 Matsue will sign copies of his work after the talk. Venue: NADiff a/p/a/r/t 1F Free (reservations required) Standing-room only for more than 30 spectators [Image: Taiji Matsue]

91. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Photography

Item: “Canon Photo Circle Moments Monthly Album 2013”

“Canon Photo Circle Moments Monthly Album 2013”
at Open Gallery (Tokyo: Others area)
(2013-11-29 - 2013-12-24)

The Canon Photo Circle magazine “Moments” holds a monthly contest known as “Monthly Album”. This exhibition celebrates the award winning works of 2013 from the Master class winner Hideo Kashima, Open Class winner Tadashige Shibata and Fresher class awards.

92. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Photography

Item: “First Collection”

“First Collection”
at Tokyo Arts Gallery (Shibuya area)
(2013-12-05 - 2013-12-26)

Herbie Yamaguchi, winner of the 2011 Japan Photography Society Award and master of a diverse range of creative expression, leads a group of over 2 artists in an exhibition of photography.

93. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Photography

Item: “Every Stroller Can Change the World”

“Every Stroller Can Change the World”
at Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography (Ebisu, Daikanyama area)
(2013-12-07 - 2014-01-26)

Photographers throughout the history of the medium have produced many outstanding images from “the street.” This is place where we come face-to-face with reality, a place of unexpected encounters and discoveries, and it has enchanted many an artist. The artists showing their work in this exhibition do not just take photographs of the street. With the everyday environment we call “the street” as their point of departure, they consider today’s world and explore their own position in it and then through their creative endeavors, attempt to change the worldview. By introducing contemporary artists via the key phrase “on the street,” this exhibition attempts to give visual form to the atmosphere and the sensibilities of the world today. [Image: Katsumi Omori “Everything Happens for the First Time” Fukushima 2011]

94. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Photography

Item: “Treasures / Harumichi Saito: photography”

“Treasures / Harumichi Saito: photography”
at Watari-um, The Watari Museum of Contemporary Art (Omotesando, Aoyama area)
(2013-11-30 - 2014-03-16)

Watari-um presents the first major exhibition of the 30 year old artist Harumichi Saito, who began working in photography in 2008, going on to win a New Cosmos of Photography award in 2010 and furthering his particular approach to his practice in the wake of 3.11. Here Saito features 160 photographic prints alongside 200 projected images, featuring people with illness and disability as well as those from the gay and lesbian community in a reflection upon those deemed as minorities by society. In an age when we increasingly face greater hardship Saito finds a way to touch our senses and express his vision of a golden world. Here his impressive collection of photography reaches beyond the bounds of art, beyond the definitions of time and space to offer the audience strength though the very act of viewing.

95. Source: The Leonard Lopate Show from WNYC

Item: "Regular Singing" at the Public Theatre
Date: 10 December 2013, 12:00 am

Each year since 2010, Tony Award winner Richard Nelson has premiered a new play at The Public about the fictional, liberal Apple family of Rhinebeck, New York. This year's edition, the fourth and final play, "Regular Singing," is playing in repertory with the first three Apple plays. Nelson is joined by stars Maryann Plunkett and Jay O. Sanders. "Regular Singing" is a Public Lab production; it runs through December 15 at The Public Theater.

Enclosure

96. Source: The Leonard Lopate Show from WNYC

Item: Monona Rossol Responds to Your Questions and Comments
Date: 9 December 2013, 4:28 pm

On November 27, industrial hygienist and chemist Monona Rossol talked about a study that showed that rich people and poor people have different toxic substances in their bodies (listen to that interview here). She answered to some of the questions listeners left. Here are her responses:

gene from NYC

Rossol seems ill-infomed on e-cigs, and not very rigorous in her approach to science, or her language.

I'd have been more comfortable had she said e-cigs SEEM to be safer. But that is far from proven. As she herself said just moments earlier (in regards to US v. European regulations), it's unfair to expose innocents to unknown chemicals. I am worried that she has some influence on their use on stage.

Re: propylene glycol as "safe." Ingestion is FAR different from inhalation. Water is safe if ingested; fatal if inhaled.

E-cig vapor contains far more than propylene glycol. See PLOS One's "Metal and Silicate Particles Including Nanoparticles Are Present in Electronic Cigarette Cartomizer Fluid and Aerosol" for one study.

Plus, this is a highly unregulated field, with hundreds of manufacturers of varying levels of competence. You often really don't know what you're inhaling; let alone the danger of explosions/fires.

As a person acting/appearing as some sort of health authority, Rossol can't just mindlessly spout e-cig manufacturers' propaganda and then expect to be considered seriously in anything else she says.

Nov. 27 2013 01:51 PM

Dear Gene,

I'm glad to have an opportunity to answer this, actually. I hope others will also read what I have to say.

First, while you are right about there being no animal tests of propylene glycol by inhalation, there is 40 years of human experience since it is one of the major theatrical fog chemicals. And there are 5 studies of the fogs' effects in performers including a big NIOSH report. The glycols can cause, at high levels, vocal problems and upper respiratory irritation in performers. I personally think the glycols can cause asthma in some people, but there is only anecdotal evidence of this effect. However, the amount of glycol in those e-cigs are magnitudes less than the exposures that were found to cause these symptoms.

Second, the study to which you refer analyzed the smoke and found particles of a number of chemicals including boron, iron, aluminum, sulfur, zinc, tin, lead, boron, chromium, nickel, manganese, titanium, and lithium. There are also some low toxicity silicate particles which should not be confused with highly toxic crystalline silica.

It is reassuring that the amounts of the chemicals found in the smoke was small. I recalculated the study’s data in order to compare it to the workplace air quality standards for these substances. I found that the amounts from even 200 puffs a day don’t even come close to these standards.

The chart in the study also compares the amounts of each of these e-cig chemicals with the amounts of these same chemicals found ordinary tobacco cigarette smoke. In almost all cases, the amounts of these chemicals in real cigarettes are much larger that those in e-cig smoke.

The most troubling data in the study is that some of these e-cig particles are in the tiny hazardous nanoparticle size. And the tin particles are in the form of "whiskers" or needles, a form some toxicologists associate with cancer. Several of the metals are also associated with cancer. But these same cancer causing metal particles are in tobacco smoke. And many of the cigarette smoke particles also are in nanoparticle size.

Before accepting this data, we might consider flaws in the study itself. This online journal charges most contributors for publishing their articles. The articles are peer-reviewed, but most of the reviewers are from rather small universities and institutions. The study only looked at one brand of e-cig which they didn’t identify when there actually are dozens of brands.

In summary, I think that this study is a heads up that there probably are some hazards associated with this fake smoke. But what they found, with the exception of the tin whiskers, is smaller amounts of the same chemicals that are in tobacco smoke. Plus tobacco smoke has thousands of other toxic chemicals in it. I will continue to advise actors on stage not to inhale when faking smoking.

Monona

Amy from Manhattan

JF, it's been promoted as a supposed utopia. "Better living through chemistry," remember? We've been told these chemicals do wonderful things, but the reality is that they're poisoning us. That's the whole point.

Nov. 27 2013 12:47 PM

Dear Amy, I think you've said this well.

Monona

Alicia from NYC

Just caught a bit of the talk on chelating to get rid of lead. May have missed something, but I have to comment. I (and one of my 3 cats) got lead poisoning in my mid-40's from removing paint from my 1911 apartment--the cat began losing a lot of weight, and I felt like I had the flu--achy joints and tired. We both had chelation (am I spelling that right?) and my symptoms and his cleared up completely. The cat had lost a few lives earlier (he was rescued) but lasted until 18, and I'm quite healthy and full of IQ points almost 20 years later.

Nov. 27 2013 12:43 PM

Dear Alicia, I suspect you both would have felt better in time without any chelation.

I paid tuition in the 1960s to get acute lead poisoning. We were taught to do dripped lead sculpture, where we literally used welding torches to melt bars of lead near our faces and drip the hot lead into our molds. We all came down with what appeared to be "flu." My flu included uncontrolled vomiting and diarrhea. As is typical, these symptoms did not occur during the work but some hours later since lead fume takes time to dissolve in the lungs. I felt rotten and was losing weight, just like you. After I stopped doing this work, I got better over time. And like your cat, I have lived a long time and I am still rather bright. But I know, from the massive amounts of data on this subject, that I lost a few IQ points during that period that will not come back. It is also likely that my high blood pressure today is related. I also know, that none of this would have changed for the better with chelation. And there is significant evidence that chelation would have caused more harm than good.

Monona

Amy from Manhattan

I'm glad to hear that the precautionary principle is followed in Europe, & I hope market forces will lead the US to change its laws, or at least lead US corporations to change their practices. But I've been hearing about a proposed trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which among other things would allow private companies to sue gov'ts. that enact laws banning toxic manufacturing practices & toxic chemicals in food & other products. Has Ms. Rossol heard about this, & if so, what does she think about it?

Nov. 27 2013 12:40 PM

Amy, you can rejoice! Every employer in the US is required to retrain their workers who use chemical products in the new labeling and safety data sheet system being used in the EU. And the law you are talking about is another attempt to try to stop this kind of progress. They will have a hard time since the new system adopted by the EU has also been adopted by almost all major countries including China and Japan. And now our own OSHA has put it into law.

There are also three bills that would stop individual states from passing laws restricting or banning chemicals in products. Those I am more worried about. Because waiting for our legislators to pass any chemical safety bills is futile.

Monona

jf from DYSTOPIA

THE DIESEL IS ALL OVER FROM TRUCKS. ALL DAY EVERY DAY BUMPER TO BUMPER Traffic in Brooklyn. SANITATION TRUCKS COULD COLLECT BIO-DIESEL AND USE IT IN THEIR TRUCKS! BIO DIESEL IS COMPRESSED NOT BURNT.

Nov. 27 2013 12:39 PM

Dear JF.

Bio or not, the fuel in a diesel engine is combusted to create the large volume of gases needed to cause the engine to run. And while it is better to use biofuels, the amount of carbon created in burning either fuel is roughly comparable.

Monona

Curtis from Bronx

Is it also the case that poor people's bodies contain more toxins because poor people tend to live in areas, neighborhoods, that contain factories and industrial complexes.

Nov. 27 2013 12:38 PM

Dear Curtis,

Absolutely. Read the whole study and you will see how they looked at a number of factors. But it is interesting that living in the world of the rich also contributes significant amounts to one's blood levels of toxic chemicals.

Monona

genejoke from Brooklyn

Lead poisoning? "LET IT HEAL ON IT'S OWN." Next caller ...

Nov. 27 2013 12:38 PM

Dear gene,

No, it doesn't "heal." But don't make the problem worse by getting the lead out of the bones, into the blood stream, and back to your brain, kidneys and other organs. And we also know that a significant portion of the chelated lead also goes back into the bones. I wish dearly it were not so. I wish there were effective and safe treatments for all of the pollutants. Sadly, there are not.

Monona

Flame retardants

here is the series: http://media.apps.chicagotribune.com/flames/index.html

[[Chemical companies, Big Tobacco and the toxic products in your home
The average American baby is born with 10 fingers, 10 toes and the highest recorded levels of flame retardants among infants in the world. The toxic chemicals are present in nearly every home, packed into couches, chairs and many other products. Two powerful industries — Big Tobacco and chemical manufacturers — waged deceptive campaigns that led to the proliferation of these chemicals, which don’t even work as promised.]]

Nov. 27 2013 12:37 PM

Right on! And every generation of babies carries more flame retardants, PCBs, DDT, phthalates, dioxins, etc., etc., than then last because babies are born carrying about the same body burdens as their mothers. It is a good reason we need to become active on this issue.

Monona

CLO

[[JF from THE FUTURE DON'T CALL IT UTOPIA WHEN YOU MEAN DYSTOPIA. AS A UTOPIAN I AM EXTREMELY OFFENDED. DON'T POISON THE WORD UTOPIA WITH IT'S OPPOSITE MEANING. HOW COULD YOU DO THAT? Nov. 27 2013 12:23 PM]]

In my Utopia, people know how to turn CAPS LOCK off.

Nov. 27 2013 12:36 PM

Dear JF,

I agree about the caps. No need. Actually, it was the editors at Wiley & Sons that chose the title. They know how most people interpret words. That's good enough for me. And I'm sure people would not have understood the subtitle if we said "how our mad dash to chemical dystopia....." Hell, I wouldn't have even understood that.

Monona

Flame retardants

Has the author seen the Chicago Tribune reporting on flame retardants in furniture that are hazardous and the DON'T actually slow down fire?

Nov. 27 2013 12:34 PM

Yes, there are a number of studies that show they are ineffective in some types of flame ignition scenarios. I have mixed emotions here, because of the work I do. On stage, it is vital that all fabrics, flats, drops, and sometimes costumes (e.g., when flame effects are used on stage), be fire retarded. History is full of terrible theater and nightclub fires with piles of bodies involved. I also was one of the expert witnesses for one of the people involved in the Rhode Island nightclub fire in which 100 people died due to ignition of a non fire retarded plastic foam used to line the band shell area. So I hope these people have REALLY thought this through.

And I hope these activists stay away from the issues in my theater and entertainment. Strange things go on stages. Besides, there are inorganic fire retardants that can be used in theater that do not have the hazards of the brominated chemicals these people are concerned with.

Monona

Molly from NYC

Because the people who work in the gov't regulated orgs that are supposed to protect the public, EPA, USDA, are from the corporate sector beholden to corp interests. It's not a mystery why all these chemicals are allowed into our environment, before they are tested or even allowed into our products.

Nov. 27 2013 12:33 PM

Dear Molly,

Well, don't be too hard on EPA or USDA. Neither have the budgets or the mandates needed to do their jobs well.

EPA in particular is supposed to abide by the rules in the Toxic Substances Control Act which only gives them jurisdiction over a portion of the chemicals that might be used and then they can only demand an industry do tests if they can PROVE that the chemical poses a significant risk. Now just how can EPA prove a chemical which has never been tested for toxicity poses a significant toxic risk? So you see, the framers of this legislation never wanted it to work in the first place.

Monona

Hal from NYC

Please explain, for the benefit of the gullible woo-woo types, the difference between the actual toxins the guest is referring to, and the metabolic by-products that new age quacks refer to as 'toxins' when they try to sell a variety of bogus 'detoxification' treatments, snake oils and therapies.

Nov. 27 2013 12:27 PM

Dear Hal.

The best place for that is the Centers for Disease Control's website. One of their publications, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (yes, there actually is a publication with this name!) covers every year recalls of herbal products that have caused serious injury in a number of people. Remember, FDA has no jurisdiction over the supplement world until there is a documented problem. So they have to wait for a body count before they can act.

If you want to see an interesting collection of information on liver damage from herbal medicines, google using some of the following bits of information.

West J Med. 2002 January; 176(1): 39–44.

PMCID: PMC1071652

Evidence-Based Case Reviews

Making a diagnosis of herbal-related toxic hepatitis

Christine A Haller,¹ Jo Ellen Dyer,² Richard Ko,³ and Kent R Olson⁴

After you do that, you can do the same for kidneys, lungs, or any other organ or system--your choice.

Monona

Truth & Beauty from Brooklyn

Leonard: Perhaps you are speaking to the lowest common denominator, but, yes, it is best to use (well-cleaned) glass for storage (plastic is porous and things spoil faster in plastic than in glass), and yes, it is best to eat natural and organic. We depend too much on chem labs for production of foods that should not be made in chem labs. Food is something that is grown in the earth - or, in the case of meat, grazed on plants that are grown in the earth - and the closer we get to that primordial state of food, the healthier we will be. Of course, this also means that chem labs should not be permitted to pollute the soil, air or water, because there is runoff that can spread to the most pristine environments, but as industrialization seems to have contamination as its parallel, we are all doomed unless this pollution is stopped.

Nov. 27 2013 12:25 PM

Most of what you say I agree with. Be sure the glass is a soda, lime, boron, type of composition. There are lead glass containers still in production. And recycled glass usually contains a mish mash of types of glass. Many antique glass containers also may be radioactive. But most glass food containers made in the US for this purpose will be fine.

When getting food "grown in the earth," remember that most farm land is already so contaminated that it still will not be contaminant free even after the 4 year period required by some of the organic standards. Further, over the years all of the ground water in the US is no longer deemed fit to drink due primarily to pesticide, fertilizer, and animal waste runoff. So even if the farm is organic, there are still going to be soil and ground water irrigation contamination of the products. It might be better, but never perfect.

We just need to do the best we can while being realistic that there is nothing perfect out there.

Monona

jf from TRUTHLAND

Corporation are making these things. Corporations are dispersing these things. They are poisoning us. They don't care. They are poisoning us. They are murdering us. They are destroying our thinking processes by destroying our brains. WHEN WILL WE GET JUSTICE? WHEN WILL THEY BE PUNISHED? EVERY MAJOR CAUSE OF DEATH IS CORPORATE. CORPORATIONS ARE PEOPLE, PSYCHOPATHS AND THEY NEED TOP BE LOCKED UP, AND NOT ALLOWED TO POISON AND MURDER US.

Nov. 27 2013 12:17 PM

I recognize your caps. But it is true that the problem is the corporations.

Monona

Evan S Cowit

Yes, Leonard, poor people have Teflon. And no, Ms. Rossol, they don't all buy things from late night television.

Pompous, elitist snobs.

Nov. 27 2013 12:17 PM

Oh Evan, we ARE the poor so we have the right. I don't know who you think I am, but being on the consumer side of chemistry rather than working for industry is the quickest way I know to end up poor.

Monona

Enclosure

97. Source: The Leonard Lopate Show from WNYC

Item: Please Explain: Coffee
Date: 6 December 2013, 3:37 pm

The devotion to coffee verges on a religion for many people. Jonathan Rubinstein, the owner and operator of Joe Coffee in New York City and in Philadelphia, and Amanda Byron, director of coffee and roasting at Joe Coffee, talk about how coffee is grown and roasted, the variety of beans and methods of making coffee. They'll also describe how to make the best coffee at home.

Call us at 212-433-9692 with your coffee questions! Or leave a question below!

Enclosure (mp3)

98. Source: The Leonard Lopate Show from WNYC

Item: 3-Ingredient Challenge Winners
Date: 6 December 2013, 12:25 pm

Rozanne Gold is back to pick the winners of our 3-Ingredient Challenge. She's a James Beard award-winning chef and author of 13 cookbooks, including her most recent, Radically Simple.

Enclosure (mp3)

99. Source: booktwo.org

Item: DIY Drone Shadows
Date: 6 December 2013, 10:30 am

Drone-Shadow-006

Last week I drew a Drone Shadow, number 006, in Brixton, London, for the premiere of Jeremy Scahill’s investigative documentary Dirty Wars. The work was commissioned by Picturehouse and Britdoc, who are distributing the film nationwide. You can read more on this site about the previous Drone Shadows in Istanbul, Brighton and Australia, as well as in Washington DC. There are more photos of the Brixton shadow at Flickr.

Dirty Wars is an excellent and powerful film investigating America’s covert wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere. Scahill visits the communities and families affected by the ever-expanding policy of special forces actions and drone attacks outside declared theatres of war, and digs deep into the politics and policies behind America’s version of ‘total war’. It is currently touring the UK and I urge you to see it – you can download it from the website if there’s no screening near you. I’ll be taking part in a discussion of the film at the Hackney Picturehouse this weekend.

As well as the Drone Shadow installation, I created a projection for Picturehouse which is touring the country with the film. It has so far appeared in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, York, Liverpool, and elsewhere.

Drone-Projection-01

Drone-Projection-02

The Drone Shadow is a piece of public art, undertaken in public space, for the purpose of public debate, originating in work performed at public protests. For some time, I’ve wanted to open up the project, so that anyone can draw one. With this in mind, I’ve created a handbook, which gives guidance on how to draw a drone shadow, including advice on measuring and materials, and schematics for four of the most common types of drone: the Predator, Reaper, Global Hawk, and Hermes/Watchkeeper.

You can download it here: Drone Shadow Handbook [PDF, 572KB, CC BY-NC-SA] ↓

See the full handbook at Flickr →

Drone-Shadow-Handbook

For Dirty Wars, Britdoc and Picturehouse printed 2000 copies of this handbook (above), via the ever-excellent Newspaper Club, which are being distributed at screenings.

Several Drone Shadows have already been drawn based on these plans, including one in Detroit’s Eastern Market for The Gallery Project‘s ‘Drones’ exhibition (installed by Lea Bult) …

Drone-Shadow-Detroit

… and several around São Paulo, Brazil, as part of the IV Mostra 3M de Arte Digital (these are Elbit Hermes drones, in use with the Brazlian airforce – which has used them to film football matches. A variant, called the Watchkeeper, is currently on trial with the British Army):

Drone-Shadow-Brazil-01

Drone-Shadow-Brazil-02

If you do use the plans to draw your own Drone Shadow, please have a read of the handbook, let me know about it, and send any feedback you have.

100. Source: The Leonard Lopate Show from WNYC

Item: 3-Ingredient Challenge Winners; Food Greats in the South of France; The French Kitchen Cookbook; Please Explain
Date: 6 December 2013, 12:00 am

We got some great submissions to our 3-ingredient challenge, and Rozanne Gold reveals and talks to the winners! Luke Barr describes the winter of 1970, when his great aunt M.F.K. Fisher found herself in the South of France with Julia Child, James Beard and Judith Jones. Patricia Wells shares her latest recipes making classic French cooking accessible to American cooks. And this week’s Please Explain is all about coffee-how it’s grown, roasted, ground, and brewed best for your morning cup of joe!

Enclosure

101. Source: The Leonard Lopate Show from WNYC

Item: Jesse Eisenberg Calls From a Cracker Barrel To Talk About "The Revisionist"
Date: 5 December 2013, 4:39 pm

Actor, New Yorker contributor, and playwright Jesse Eisenberg wanted to join us in the studio today, but his flight to New York City was canceled. So he called in from a Cracker Barrel parking lot somewhere between Boston and New York to talk about his second play, The Revisionist, which had its world premiere at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York in spring 2013.

The Revisionist stars Eisenberg and Vanessa Redgrave and is directed by Kip Fagan. It tells the story of a young writer who arrives in Poland with a case of writer’s block and a desire to be left alone. His 75-year-old second cousin Maria welcomes him, and as their relationship develops, she reveals details about her postwar past that test their ideas of what it means to be a family.

Enclosure (mp3)

102. Source: The Leonard Lopate Show from WNYC

Item: John Kerry as Secretary of State
Date: 3 December 2013, 12:00 am

Reuters columnist David Rohde discusses John Kerry as Secretary of State. Rodhe’s article “John Kerry Will Not Be Denied” shows that while Kerry’s critics call him arrogant, undisciplined, and reckless, his relentlessness in pursuit of negotiations might produce some of the most important diplomatic breakthroughs in years.

Enclosure (mp3)

103. Source: The Leonard Lopate Show from WNYC

Item: Remembering Marcella Hazan
Date: 29 November 2013, 12:00 am

Marcella Hazan, the cooking teacher and cookbook writer who taught a generation of American cooks that there’s more to Italian cooking that spaghetti and meatballs, died in September at the age of 89. We’re re-airing and interview Leonard did in 2008 with Marcella and Victor Hazan, who were discussing their collaborating on a memoir, called Amarcord: Marcella Remembers.

Enclosure (mp3)

104. Source: The Leonard Lopate Show from WNYC

Item: Recipe: Arthur Scwartz's Potato Kugel
Date: 29 November 2013, 12:00 am

All the old recipes for potato kugel come out sort of heavy and gluey, which is not at all how good kugels taste today. These days, the kugel sold in the take-out shops and delicatessens, not to mention those made at home by modern balabustas, are still full of good onion flavor but they are high and light. What may seem like an inordinate number of eggs is the secret. Some recipes call for baking powder, too, but I’ve found the baking powder does absolutely nothing. Lots of eggs are definitely the ticket to lightness. It also helps to use russet potatoes, which were not nearly as available in grandma’s day as they are today. Drier russets produce a fluffier kugel. Incidentally, this is a very low-fat recipe.

Besides serving potato kugel as a side dish for meat or poultry or fish, a larger portion of this egg-rich version makes a good lunch. If cut into small squares, it’s also a good finger food to go with wine or cocktails.

Serves at least 12

3 pounds russet (baking) potatoes
12 eggs
2 medium onions (about 12 ounces), peeled and cut into chunks
2/3 cup matzo meal
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons peanut, corn, or canola oil (for a pareve pudding) or melted Schmaltz (page 9)
Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks to prepare them for the food processor. Reserve in a bowl of cold water until ready to process, but don’t leave them there longer than 2 hours.

In a very large bowl, beat together the eggs until well mixed. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the onions until very finely chopped, but not liquefied. Scrape the onions into the bowl with the eggs and stir them in. Stir in the matzo meal.

Drain the potatoes, then set a strainer over a bowl. In the same processor bowl (no need to clean), process the potatoes in three batches, until very finely chopped. The pieces should be no bigger than a grain of rice and mostly smaller.

As each batch of potatoes is processed, immediately scrape it into the strainer. With a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon, press out the moisture so it drains into the catch bowl. Immediately stir the potatoes into the egg mixture. Discard the liquid and potato starch collected in the bowl. Season the batter with salt and pepper.

Pour 2 tablespoons of the oil into a 13- by 9-inch baking dish, preferably heatproof glass. Tip the pan so the oil coats the pan bottom and halfway up the sides. Warm the empty pan in the preheated oven for 5 minutes.

Protecting your hands, remove the hot pan from the oven and fill with the kugel mixture. The oil will rise up the sides of the pan, especially in the corners. It’s a good thing when the oil spills onto the surface of the batter, as it adds crispness to the finished dish. Press the batter down near the corners lightly to fill them with potato batter. Drizzle the surface with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving, preferably somewhat longer. Serve hot or warm, freshly baked or reheated.

The kugel reheats extremely well in a 350˚F oven, uncovered so the top can re-crisp. Reheating time depends on the size of the piece being reheated and the temperature of the kugel before it goes into the oven. It can be kept in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for at least 4 days, and for several months in the freezer. It is best to defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.

Enclosure

105. Source: The Leonard Lopate Show from WNYC

Item: Recipe: Arthur Schwartz's Cottage-Cheese Chremslach
Date: 29 November 2013, 12:00 am

The word chremslach is applied to any number of very different, usually fried, matzo meal pancakes. There are also recipes called chremsle, vremzle, or chremslach that are croquettes with almonds and raisins. These cheese pancakes are wonderful for a midweek Passover dairy breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I like them topped with sour cream, but if you have a sweet tooth, try applesauce or orange marmalade or other preserves, or a sprinkling of sugar, or top them with sour cream and strawberries macerated with some sugar so they exude their juices and form a sauce.

Makes about 18

4 eggs

1 cup 4-percent cottage cheese
3/4 cup milk (whole or low-fat)
3/4 to 1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 cup matzo meal
Grapeseed or other acceptable Passover oil, oil (or oil and 2 tablespoons butter for flavor), for frying

In a bowl, with a fork, beat together the eggs, cottage cheese, milk, salt, and sugar. Stir in the matzo meal. Set aside for 10 minutes.

In a 10- to 12-inch skillet, over medium heat, heat enough oil to cover the bottom by a scant 1/8 inch. When the oil is hot, pour a scant 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet. It should form a pancake about 4 inches in diameter. If it is too thick to spread this much, add a little more milk. The pancake should sizzle immediately. Fry until the first side is golden brown, 60 to 90 seconds, depending on how hot the oil is. Turn the pancake. The second side takes less time, about 30 seconds.

Drain the pancakes on paper towels or brown paper and serve while still very hot.

Variation
For a puffier pancake, separate the eggs, beat the yolks with the milk, then beat the whites until they form peaks and fold into the batter.

Enclosure

106. Source: booktwo.org

Item: Recent Work, November 2013: Render Ghosts, GPS, Landsat.
Date: 15 November 2013, 8:55 am

render-desert

For some time, I have been threatening to write about the Render Ghosts. I was asked to contribute something to Electronic Voice Phenomena, an online literature and art project by Mercy and Penned in the Margins, and so I wrote about my recent trip to New Mexico, in search of the Render Ghosts:

I first noticed the Render Ghosts on the hoardings surrounding a new development near Finsbury Square. On the balconies of some vast, virtual tower, two pixelated figures looked out over a darkened London, a perfect red-pink gradient sunset behind them. He had short dark hair and stubble, wore a black jacket and blue jeans. She had a cropped red bob, white jacket, and a purple knee-length skirt. I didn’t know who they were, but I started seeing them everywhere.

Read the full piece over at EVP.

I also have a short essay and illustrations in the wonderful new Visual Editions‘ book of writing and maps, Where You Are, which also includes contributions from Joe Dunthorne, Geoff Dyer, Olafur Eliasson, Sheila Heti, and more.

VE5_WhereYouAre_LR10

To ask “Where You Are” invites a series of responses: cartographic, historical, social, spiritual, situational; discursive or prescriptive. The GPS system is a monumental network that provides a permanent “You Are Here” sign hanging in the sky, its signal a constant, synchronised timecode. It suggests the possibility that one may never need be lost again; that future generations will grow up not knowing what it means to be truly lost.

The book is available to order now, but you can read the essay, and see the illustrations (much beautified by the designers at Bibliothèque), alongside all the other contributions on the Where You Are website.

The astute among you might notice a strong similarity between the diagrams in Where You Are and the piece I made for Container some months back:

gps-container

This 3D-printed object is the same thing under discussion in Where You Are:

This is a model of the Global Positioning System (GPS), a constellation of 24 satellites, in six orbital groups of four satellites, each orbital plane at 55 degrees inclination, and 60 degrees right ascension to its neighbour, 20,200 kilometres above the surface of the earth; a machine we are all living inside.

I’d had the original model sitting on my desk for some time before Tim asked me for a contribution to Container. In trying to draw and understand the GPS system as an abstract machine, I’d modelled the constellation in Sketchup – it was a natural step to flip-flop this nest of intersecting cones of influence back into the physical realm again, so that I could roll it between my fingers, as Einar and I did with airfix models of the drones, before the shadows (Einar’s own thinking about GPS, with Timo and Jørn, led to the Satellite Lamps project.) I call this the “Close Encounters” method.

landsat

A while back, I started the Laaaaaaandsat tumblr, which automatically posts, several times a day, every image released by the USGS Landsat observation programme – an ongoing, comprehensive survey of the planet by another satellite, 700km above the earth’s surface.

The endless stream of off-kilter images – reoriented so North is ‘up’ – remains a endless source of pleasure. So when Aperture magazine asked for 200 words on “What Matters Now” in photography, I thought of this little robot cameraman in the sky. 200 words is not enough, but it’s in the new issue.

NASA’s Landsat is the longest-running program dedicated to photographing the Earth from space, and has created millions of images since its inception in 1969. The first satellite, Landsat 1, was launched on July 23, 1972, atop a Delta 900 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Its mission was to photograph the whole Earth using three cameras which see both visible light and the near-infrared, and a four-channel multispectral scanner. The scanner was the project’s greatest innovation as it reveals hidden details about the planet’s surface, producing data and imagery used for everything from disaster relief, to agriculture, to studying climate change.
In February of this year, the program continued with the launch of Landsat 8. This incarnation features a more powerful scanner which sees in the ultraviolet; the panchromatic; the shortwave, near-, and thermal-infrared; revealing the presence of dust and smoke, of chlorophyll, of sub-surface rock formations, and the shape of clouds. The satellite captures four hundred images every day, creating a complete picture of the planet every sixteen days. Every one of these images is in the public domain, allowing every one of us to use, benefit from, and marvel at this ever-growing, ever-changing automated portrait of our planet.

107. Source: ArtScene with Erika Funke

Item: ArtScene for November 8 2013
Date: 11 November 2013, 12:00 am

Artists Lori Remmel, Lori Ryan, and Chala Janpraphasakul, award-winners in Northeastern Biennial 2013 now through Nov. 13 at the Hope Horn Gallery at the University of Scranton; AFA Gallery; ArtWorks Gallery; and the Mahady Gallery at Marywood University. chalajan.com; loriremmel.com; and loriryanphotography.com for more.

Enclosure (mp3)

108. Source: booktwo.org

Item: #OccupyTheCloud
Date: 31 October 2013, 12:06 pm

“Occupy the Cloud”, an installation for Open Heart Surgery, The Moving Museum, 180 Strand, October – December 2013.

Occupy-Long

“Occupy the Cloud” is an installation of three banners on the facade of 180 Strand, a brutalist office block on a main road in central London. The banners are made of pixelated, virtual skies taken from architectural renderings, like those which adorn nearby building sites. They feature three symbols: the lightning bolt through a circle of the international squatters’ movement; the @-symbol used to denote digital location or direction (and acquired in 2010 by MoMA); and the Cloud symbol, which has come to stand for the vast and remote data storage and processing capabilities of corporations and governments. (I have previously made the assertion, both humorously and more directly that the Cloud is a lie.) The banners themselves occupy an uneasy position between corporate branding, and protest.

When I was asked to contribute to the Moving Museum’s London show, I initially intended to make work based on my ongoing Render Ghosts project, which examines the effects of software designs and processes on society and the built environment (I’ve previously written about this for Domus). One plan was to create flags for the Render Ghosts, who are the people who appear in architectural visualisations, to mark their occupation of that liminal space between the real and the virtual, the physical and the digital, the present and the future.

A couple of things focussed the work. The first was a site visit to 180 Strand, a vast and currently empty building in central London, surrounded by major streets, and major developments (the next site on the street, surrounded by hoardings, boasts “a luxurious new development of stunning apartments and penthouses”). The second was my experience of censorship in Australia last month. I realised it would be possible to make a very public work; and there was no point in being subtle.

Occupy-Banners

In the last few months we’ve learned much about the extent to which supposedly secure “cloud” services have been infiltrated by our security services without oversight or consent. The latest revelations detail explicitly how data passed between Google and Yahoo servers is directly intercepted. But anyone who saw the hundreds of metal barriers which were used to fill Paternoster Square by its corporate owners in February 2012 to prevent peaceful protestors approaching the London Stock Exchange is unlikely to assume that we can trust corporations to act in our best interests any more than governments. Indeed, some of them are starting to act like governments, and no less opaquely than the traditional nation-states.

At the same time, the UK government’s primary response to rising house prices and rental costs, a lack of affordable housing, local councils moving residents out of the city, and a steep rise in homelessness, has been to criminalise squatting, a practice which has a long and radical tradition in this country.

The Levellers and the Diggers of the 17th Century occupied public lands and cultivated them for the public benefit – the state and the landowners conspired to imprison and execute them. It was a young Leveller, John Lilburne, whose false imprisonment and torture lead directly to the establishment of the principle of human rights in English law, and the founding documents which became the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. It is those same rights and laws which have been so violently abused over the last decade to permit exactly the same tortures and renditions which Lilburne was subjected to. The brutal reactions to peaceful public protest in the UK, from Occupy to anti-war marches and the student protests, reveal the illusion of “public” space once again.

As I write this, the UK government is debating its own oversight of the intelligence and security services. The MP Tom Watson, as well as linking the abuse of secrecy powers to the CIA’s drone assassination programme, just made the assertion that “An individual’s data is like their vote: individually minor, privately performed, and hugely powerful when aggregated. We should no more tamper with an individual’s data than tamper with their vote.” In my essay earlier this Summer for Matter magazine, Ring of Steel, I attempted to show how our technological systems tend towards secrecy, and are complicit in abuses of state power, and blanket, undemocratic surveillance. In his essay Turnkey Tyranny, Surveillance and the Terror State, Trevor Paglen states that “[b]y exposing NSA programs like PRISM and Boundless Informant, Edward Snowden has revealed that we are not moving toward a surveillance state: we live in the heart of one.” Paglen asserts that networked technologies as they are employed now do “not merely provide the capacity for “turnkey tyranny”—they render any other future all but impossible.” Powerful organisations which are cavalier with democratic rights are also cavalier with personal data and privacy: the two are linked, directly.

The depredations of corporations and governments on the internet reveal that it, too, is only a potential commons: not a zone of freedom, but one of conflict and power. We have re-discovered the efficacy of spatial protest: we can take the banks to protest unjust tax arrangements, but can we occupy the datacentres over the same issues?

It’s hard to shift these debates from the physical sphere to the digital and back again, to make the necessary connections. But as a friend pointed out about the online harassment debate in the UK, the only way to make sense of it was to remove the prefix “online”, and the issue becomes much clearer. In order to act fully and democratically in the world, we need to recognise that that world does not end at the screen, that the shadowy infrastructure of the network and the cloud is both a political territory and as viable and vital a platform for activism and action as the piazza and the high street. We need to fully account for the imbalances in power produced by the shifting of vast computing resources offboard, offshore, and out of sight.

The entreaty to “Occupy the Cloud” is a call to link these spheres of action, to recognise the central role that technology plays in shaping, producing, and sustaining contemporary politics; and to develop the tactics for action and the frameworks for understanding which will allow us to intervene for a more democratic future.

More pictures at Flickr.

Purchase an “Occupy the Cloud” t-shirt. 30% of profits will be donated to Shelter.

109. Source: booktwo.org

Item: Australia: Drone Shadows, Diagrams, and Political Systems
Date: 5 September 2013, 9:03 pm

slq-drone

This week I was due to install another Drone Shadow, this one in Brisbane, Australia (that’s a planning mock-up, above). I had been invited by the Brisbane Writers Festival, and we had received permission from the Queensland State Library to install the work on their premises. Unfortunately, due to the actions of Arts Queensland, the department of the State Government with overall responsibility for the arts, it has been impossible to proceed with the work. The actions of Arts Queensland in this case have been both incredibly frustrating and boringly familiar: they have stalled, dissembled, obfuscated and lied, all in the service of silencing an artistic work and preventing a proper debate occurring, either about the work, or the government’s censorship of it. (For the record, there is a full account of my dealings with Arts Queensland available here.)

I’ve often been asked if I have got into any kind of trouble for creating the Drone Shadows before, and the answer has always been no. This is despite the fact that we have drawn them in Istanbul, during a period when the Turkish government was in negotiation to purchase Predator drones from the US, and in Washington DC – right next to the White House – at the height of the US drone war. But apparently the image – the bare outline – of a drone was too much for the government of Queensland.

In Istanbul we drew a Predator, in DC a Reaper. In Brisbane I proposed to draw a Global Hawk, the largest military unmanned aircraft currently in service. Late last year it was revealed that the United States flew secret Global Hawk spy missions from Air Force bases in Australia in 2001-2006. The programme was revealed by a group of amateur aviation historians who tracked the Global Hawks arriving and taking off. When they revealed details of the flights, they were visited by Australian defence security officials who demanded they not reveal details of the flights. An Australian senator who proposed to notify the public of the flights was silenced by the US Air Force, which demanded the flights remain classified.

Since then, Australia has been in prolonged negotiations with the US to purchase Global Hawks itself, announcing an AU$1 billion programme in 2004, rising to AU$3 billion in 2012. The latest election, which takes place quite coincidentally this Saturday, has led to further fierce debates over Australian defence and the drone program.

Australia’s domestic drone program is primarily aimed at “securing borders”, and its preference for maritime versions of the Global Hawk is due to the need for surveillance of immigration by sea. This program aims to ensure, in the words of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in July 2013, that “any asylum seeker who arrives in Australia by boat will have no chance of being settled in Australia as refugees”, by shifting the problem to neighbouring countries such as Papua New Guinea. There is also a long history of asylum claimants being housed at former Air Force bases – and a long history of government objection to artworks dealing with the subject: see for example the story of Escape from Woomera, a political computer game about a detention camp in a remote Australian Defence Force base in South Australia.

One of the many reasons given by Arts Queensland for their opposition to the installation of the Drone Shadow was the opening at the Queensland Museum next door of an exhibition of thousands-year-old artefacts from Afghanistan, to which members of the local Afghan community had been invited. Arts Queensland expressed their view (after several weeks of denying any such issue) that this community might be made uncomfortable by the work. The community was never consulted, and the Museum itself raised no objection. Arts Queensland called it a “raw issue”. Indeed it is.

Australia’s Defence Forces have been involved in the war in Afghanistan since 2001. This contribution has included ships, manned aircraft, ground troops – and, more recently, drones.

The Royal Australian Air Force has been using drones in Afghanistan since 2009, when it first started to deploy the Israeli-built Heron drone, a twin-hulled surveillance drone the size of a light aircraft. At a 2012 promotional event on Australia’s Gold Coast, a short drive from Brisbane, Australia’s most senior military drone commander stated that the drone program was “like crack cocaine, a drug, for our guys involved – [they] just can’t get enough of it.”

woomera

These drones are in fact still owned by the Israeli manufacturer, and leased via a Canadian company – as Australia’s ABC News put it: “Israeli-owned drones, leased by Canadians, flown by Australians, fighting a war against Islamist insurgents in Afghanistan”. The RAAF drone teams are trained by Canadian and Israeli civilians at Amberley in Queensland, on the outskirts of Brisbane. Before they deploy to the field, they spend hours test-flying the drones over a simulated Afghan village, constructed in 2011, on the Woomera test range, close by the notorious refugee detention centre. (Picture above: a Heron drone parked at Woomera Air Base, South Australia, via Google Earth.)

The RAAF’s Herons are nominally unarmed, but they are equipped with lasers which allow them to mark targets for incoming airstrikes or artillery – the networking of contemporary military forces means that the formal distinctions between the capabilities of different weapons systems are increasingly meaningless. The drones are a key part of the “kill chain”, the process by which targets are selected and attacked by the entire system, and the ADF also calls on US and British armed Reaper drones to support its ground troops in battle.

In describing the contours of Australia’s relationship with drones, we see how, once again, such relationships extend beyond the individual aircraft to encompass far wider issues including domestic politics, international relations, warfare, immigration and networked technologies.

Drones are avatars of the the political process: they are instantiations of a set of ideologies and beliefs, made visible by their reification in electromechanical systems. When we talk about drones, we are really talking about the politics that demand, shape, and deploy them, and the politics which are made possible by them. This politics reflects the drones themselves: it is a politics of violence, of obfuscation, of radical inequality of sight and action, and it is sustained by that obfuscation and that inequality.

No wonder then that politicians are afraid of even artistic representations of the drone. No wonder they cite feelings of “discomfort” at even mentioning them, although in projecting this discomfort onto an immigrant population – without consultation – they reveal even more clearly the complicity of the technology in war and social oppression.

The Drone Shadow is not just a picture of a drone. It is a diagram of a political system. Every time we draw one, we use it to cast light on the actors who would prefer that the reality of their intentions and actions remain hidden.

This is the nature of networked technology today: it is the product of an embedded politics which it simultaneously obscures, through its apparent sophistication, and renders startlingly visible, through its explicit form. That invisibility is the intention of power; rendering it visible is the intention of art.

In the present case, power in all its petty exercise has done its utmost to render such a debate invisible. That it has succeeded for the moment, with the barest minimum of opposition from the cultural institutions which should oppose such exercises at every step, is saddening. It is also, I have to believe, unlikely and impossible to remain the case for long.

If you would like to draw your own Global Hawk shadow, you can download a schematic for the installation here.

110. Source: booktwo.org

Item: Test Match Special and Technological Agency
Date: 18 July 2013, 8:15 am

“The problem with the introduction of technology is the expectation of 100% accuracy” – Jonathan Agnew, Test Match Special

Hawk-Eye

When Aleem Dar, one of two umpires at Trent Bridge last Sunday, raised his finger to dismiss Australia’s Brad Haddin and give the first Test to England, he was playing a crucial role not only in the 131 year history of the Ashes contest, but in a far older, and contemporarily relevant debate: that of human versus technological agency. It’s a strange thing when you realise that the most prominent discussion about the future of humanity in a technological age is happening during the lunch break on Radio Four Long Wave – but it is.

For those not familiar with international cricket’s Umpire Decision Review System (DRS), it is the process by which certain matters are decided on the field, not just by the umpires, but by a series of advanced technologies observing the game: watching, analysing, and even listening to it. Haddin was initially given not out when he appeared to be caught behind, presumably because the umpire didn’t believe he had hit the ball. But after England appealed the decision, the decision was referred to the third umpire, and DRS. A slow-motion infra-red camera known as Hot Spot, trained on the batsman from the far side of the field, showed a momentary but incontrovertibly bright dot of friction heat on Haddin’s bat as he just nicked the ball into the England wicket-keeper’s hands. Another system, not officially part of DRS but widely used by broadcasters, confirmed the decision. The Snickometer, a combination of slow-motion camera and high-quality microphone, detected an almost imperceptible but audible “snick” as the ball struck the bat’s edge. The game was England’s.

HotSpot

Hot Spot’s technology was adapted by an Australian broadcasting company for sporting use, but is based on pioneering military work by French scientist Nicholas Bion for tank and jet fighter tracking. The twin SLX-Hawk thermal imaging cameras at Trent Bridge were built by a British engineering company, Selex ES, which also designs laser rangefinders, radars and other sensors for planes, warships and satellites. The Snickometer was invented in the mid-90s by British Computer Scientist Alan Plaskett, who has also worked on Hot Spot. The final piece of DRS, and the best known one due to its use in Tennis and other sports, is Hawk-Eye, another product of British engineering – Roke Manor Research, based in Romsey, which also produces signal intercept systems and altimeters for drone aircraft.

Hawk-Eye uses a network of high-performance cameras to track a ball in motion, combining the footage from each one in order to create a three-dimensional representation of the ball’s trajectory. In tennis, this yields the footprints which decide whether a line call is given in or out in contested calls, and in cricket it is used to predict whether a ball deflecting by the batsman’s pad would have hit the wicket, or not. But of course, this is only a prediction, more accurate than a human eye and capable of greater accuracy than human judges, but not, in any strict sense, infallible. The complexity of the calculations used to determe Hawk-Eye’s accuracy rival those of the more famous, and equally misunderstood, Duckworth-Lewis method.

The significance of such technologies has not gone unnoticed, and as such is highly debated within the sport, and particularly in the commentary box. Listeners to Test Match Special have become accustomed to long and involved discussions about these technologies (and others – Friday lunchtime was given over to an explanation of the work of the English Cricket Board’s Performance Analysis Team, which tracks, stores and analyses every ball in every first-class game in order to provide as much preemptive training to its players as possible. This is truly ‘big data’ in action). Sometimes these debates concern the inner workings of the technology, and at other times they become more philosophical, focussed on the greater question of what is, and what is not, cricket.

And this is where sports technology begins to illuminate larger issues around human and technological agency. An unlikely champion of humanity has emerged in the person of Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA. Soccer players and fans have long called for the introduction of goal-line technology, which would be able to tell more accurately than referees if a ball had indeed crossed the line. A number of different approaches, one based on Hawk-Eye, another using chips implanted in footballs, are currently under trial. However, Blatter has long opposed these, based partly on their accuracy, but also going on the record to say that “Other sports regularly change the laws of the game to react to the new technology. … We don’t do it and this makes the fascination and the popularity of football”. What underlies this statement is a fundamental belief that sport is a human undertaking, with all the confusion, fallibility and debate that that involves. One reading is that officials are themselves part of the game, a fact of endless frustration to almost everyone involved; another that sport is inherently chance-based, and while we resist optimising participants through drugs and physical augmentations, the laws and outcomes of sport should remain human too.

Like sport itself, these debates are endless. No technology will ever be infallible, but it may certainly be more accurate than human referees, umpires, commentators and armchair critics. What’s really interesting about having this debate at the TMS level is that it’s fundamentally and visibly embedded in a larger system: that of the game and history of cricket, a rule-based structure which leaves plenty of wiggle room for human fallibility, and human passions. This means the debate is not about the technology itself, but about its wider implications for the system it’s embedded in. The graphics are pretty but we care about the outcome a lot more.

But when such debates happen in wider society – another rule-based structure with a degree of wiggle room – this isn’t always the case. The same arguments around human and technological agency are occurring all around us, but we don’t seem to be debating them in the same way. Whether this is automation and optimisation in factories and supply chains and the rise of cloud labour; the use of high-frequency, algorithmic trading programmes in stock exchanges; drone strikes and other forms of roboticised, augmented warfare; or the ubiquitous, computational surveillance of the kind performed by Google, GCHQ and the NSA; all of these debates revolve around issues of human agency and the limits of automated systems. Each of these systems is built by humans, but their motives and politics are obscured by the illegibility and authority of the technology itself; in each of the surrounding debates both the technologies and their consequences are harder to see, meaning it’s harder to have an informed debate about them. As a result, truly democratic participation in the real business of the world is ever more reduced.

What is important is that a debate happens around these technologies in terms that everyone can understand, uncomplicated by technical jargon and technological determinism. Sport, rich in emotion and visualisation, is a perfect testing ground for such arguments. That they are being advanced most prominently between overs on Test Match Special is both delightful and worthy of wider attention.

111. Source: booktwo.org

Item: The New Aesthetic and its Politics
Date: 12 June 2013, 6:43 am

Let us be clear: just as my work on the form of the book in the digital age was concerned not with the physical or digital object, but with people’s understanding and emotions concerning literature; just as my drone works are not about the objects themselves, but about the systems – technological, spatial, legal and political – which permit, shape and produce them, and about the wider implications of seeing and not seeing such technological, systematic, operations; so the New Aesthetic is concerned with everything that is not visible in these images and quotes, but that is inseparable from them, and without which they would not exist.

Much of the critical confusion around the New Aesthetic has clustered around the use of the term “aesthetic”, by which I meant simply, “what it looks like” – I wasn’t even really aware of how key the term aesthetics was to art historical and critical discourse. As a result of my use of this term, much of the critical reaction to it has only looked at the surface, and has – sometimes wilfully it feels – failed to engage with the underlying concerns of the New Aesthetic, its own critique and politics. This criticism still concerns itself only with images, despite the wealth of texts also included in the project, and the numerous recorded lectures I’ve given on the subject. The tumblr is just one aspect of, the sketchbook or playlist for, a wider project. In short, this form of criticism has been looking at the pixelated finger, not the moon.

There are two necessary understandings to counter this, I think. One is the important recognition that the New Aesthetic project is undertaken within its own medium: it is an attempt to “write” critically about the network in the vernacular of the network itself: in a tumblr, in blog posts, in YouTube videos of lectures, tweeted reports and messages, reblogs, likes, and comments. In this sense, from my perspective, it is as much work as criticism: it does not conform to the formal shapes – manifesto, essay, book – expected by critics and academics. As a result, it remains largely illegible to them, despite frequent public statements of the present kind.

But I think the deeper and more interesting aspect of this misreading of the New Aesthetic is that it directly mirrors what it is describing: the illegibility of technology itself to a non-technical audience. From the very first post about the New Aesthetic I have been talking about what these images reveal about the underlying systems that produce them, and/or the human viewpoint which frames them. It is impossible for me, with an academic background in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, with a practical background in literary editing and software programming, with a lifetime of interacting with the internet and other systems, not to look at these images and immediately start to think about not what they look like, but how they came to be and what they become: the processes of capture, storage, and distribution; the actions of filters, codecs, algorithms, processes, databases, and transfer protocols; the weight of datacenters, servers, satellites, cables, routers, switches, modems, infrastructures physical and virtual; and the biases and articulations of disposition and intent encoded in all of these things, and our comprehension of them.

And it’s worth bearing in mind too that many of the images are snapshots, or stills, in many forms, and not fully-formed objects. Whether a frame from an online video, or a screen capture of an online map (remember, digital maps are animations on pause), or fragments of code or spam; all of these are snippets, they are only momentary representations of ongoing processes – as indeed the New Aesthtic is intended to be. Each image is a link, hardcoded or imaginative, to other aspects of a far greater system, just as every web page and every essay, and every line of text written or quoted therein, is a link to other words, thoughts and ideas. Again, in this the New Aesthetic reproduces the structure and disposition of the network itself, as a form of critique.

Let’s look at some recent examples. Every satellite image posted is a meditation on the nature of mapping, that raises issues of perspective and power relationships, the privilege of the overhead view and the monopoly on technological agency which produces it. A photograph of Eric Schmidt wearing a flak jacket – as he does in his Twitter avatar – is a spur to investigate the circumstances of the photograph and the self-presentation of the corporation. It was taken on a visit to Iraq in 2009, when Google promised to digitise what remains of the National Museum’s collection, raising further questions about the digitisation and subsequent ownership of cultural patrimony, and of Google’s involvement in political activity and international diplomacy through its Google Ideas think-tank, which actively supports a programme of regime change in certain parts of the world. A photograph of the “Free Bradley Manning” contingent of the San Francisco pride parade in 2011 is an entrypoint to a consideration of intersectional politics, of the parallels between the political and the personal in an age when networks permit the sudden rupture of secure systems by individual conscious actions, when states can use such ruptures to justify ever greater clampdowns of freedom and transparency (both in the sense of information freedom, but also the ever-threatened right of the individual to remain opaque and illegible to the state), as well as the tendency of the media and popular protest to focus on the individuals (Manning, Assange, Snowden) and the technological front-ends to such disclosures (Wikileaks) rather than the deeper transfer networks, protocols, or even, god forbid, the actual substance of the information disclosed. A screenshot of a promotional video for the telepresence company Anybot which features a robot wearing a bow tie commanding a human employee to “work faster!” is in one frame a terrifying vision of labour futures, and an indictment of visions of automation that emerge from executive and engineering cultures which perceive the value extractable by technological innovation differently to the major currents of social advancement throughout the 20th Century. An Adobe-sponsored “prank” at a bus stop – 12 million views on Youtube – where a live artist inserts passersby into a digital advertisement speaks to our internalisation of surveillance culture and our corresponding expectations of the individualisation of technology, and its framing by corporations – where in the video are the passersby who felt shocked, violated or just plain creeped out by such an intervention? Are they edited out, or did they simply not exist, and if not, why the hell not? This individualisation effect is seen at every level of technology, from the dot which places each of us at the center of the digital map, up to the robot sensor networks which rely on a codified abstract of the world to guide them, rather than the truth on the ground: the map indeed becomes the territory. Powerpoint default styles which describe corporate visions are reproduced in the NSA prism slides and the US Army’s famous “death by powerpoint”, even as those corporate slides are infected by the absence of meaning best expressed in the war on abstract nouns. Endless views of protest, repression, revolt and schism are framed not through the lens of critique, but the lens of iPhones and iPads held aloft; photography, unable to see the network, photographs photography, but in the glitches and unicode characters of printed database commands and international shipping labels, an underlying structure is made visible, the horsemeat scandal of information systems. And so on and so forth; it’s not the writing that’s hard, it’s the thinking.

The New Aesthetic is not superficial, it is not concerned with beauty or surface texture. It is deeply engaged with the politics and politicisation of networked technology, and seeks to explore, catalogue, categorise, connect and interrogate these things. Where many seem to read only incoherence and illegibility, the New Aesthetic articulates the deep coherence and multiplicity of connections and influences of the network itself.

I believe that much of the weak commentary on the New Aesthetic is a direct result of a weak technological literacy in the arts, and the critical discourse that springs from it. It is also representative of a far wider critical and popular failure to engage fully with technology in its construction, operation and affect. Since at least the introduction of the VCR – perhaps the first truly domesticated computational object – it seems there has been a concerted, societal rejection of technical understanding, wherein the attitude that “I don’t understand this and therefore don’t like this and therefore I will not investigate this” is ascendant and lauded. This attitude manifests in the low-level Luddite response to almost every technical innovation; in the stigmatisation of geek culture and interests, academic and recreational; in the managerial culture of economic government – and in the elevation of sleek, black-box corporate-controlled objects, platforms and services, from the iPhone to the SUV, over open-source, hackable, comprehensible and shareable alternatives. This wilful anti-technicalism, which is a form of anti-intellectualism, mirrors the present cultural obsession with nostalgia, retro and vintage which was one of the spurs for the entire New Aesthetic project; it is boring, and we reject it.

But if we don’t move the debate to a deeper level, none of this will change. There is a justified and rising opposition to drone warfare (and in the last week, to issues around computational surveillance and intelligence), which may or may not produce lasting political change; but even if successful this will only change the images and objects employed, not the modes of thinking, coupled to technological mastery, which drive it. Without a concerted effort to raise the level of debate, we just loop over and over through the same fetishisations and reifications, while the real business of the world continues unexamined. Those who cannot understand technology are doomed to be consumed by it. (The idea that these ideas lack politics is especially laughable when you look at what’s happening in much of the art world, and most of the digital art world. A young, post-Iraq generation who have had all hope of political participation kettled out of them, and are then endlessly accused of apathy to boot. No wonder it’s all personal brands, car culture, glossy gifs and facebook performances.) Technology is political. Everything is political. If you cannot perceive the politics, the politics are being done to you.

I was recently asked if the New Aesthetic would coalesce into “something more serious”: a book, collection of essays, or a manifesto. While I would like to, and probably should, produce a book or book-like object at some point, it itself would not be “the New Aesthetic”, but a commentary upon some of the issues it raises. I strongly reject the notion that a manifesto is an appropriate or “more serious” (and thus worthy) way to address the issues under discussion here, as it would represent precisely the kind of premature codification of the subject that the New Aesthetic explicitly sets out to avoid. (While admitting, with respect to that statement, all the contradictions presented by this piece of writing: where the two accounts differ, trust the network and not this document.)

In part, this unwillingness to codify is a reproduction of the network’s own refusal to be pinned down, controlled, routed and channeled, which must be considered one of its core, inherent qualities. But it is also born of a sincere desire not to foreclose discussion: the New Aesthetic may be considered a work, a conversation, a performance, an experiment, and a number of other things (although, please, not a movement). This intention of keeping the field open was, and perhaps remains, naive. Nevertheless, I firmly believe it is the way it has to be. As such, the presentation of a so-called gaudy heap of images is an appeal to, and act of confidence in, the network itself, in the systems and people that comprise it, to follow their own ideas and intuitions, educate themselves and, outwith a hierarchical commentariat, come to their own conclusions. The onus is on the reader to explore further, just as and because the onus is on the individual in a truly networked politics. So why is it important to critique the critique as well? Because we live in a world shaped and defined by computation, and it is one of the jobs of the critic and the artist to draw attention to the world as it truly is.

112. Source: booktwo.org

Item: The Secure Transport of Light
Date: 17 April 2013, 11:36 am

Compilation of video footage, credits at Vimeo

Last week I spoke at Afrofuture, a series of events during Milan Design Week, about undersea cables, fiber optics, and the politics of light. The oddness of the venue means I’d like to give the talk again some time, but it also belongs alongside my previous writings on light (The dreadful luminosity of everything, Four Greens) and infrastructures (Secret Servers, GPS, Living inside the Machine), so I present it here, necessarily disjointed as a report of a lecture rather than a textborn essay. Thanks also to Jeremy Weate of Cassava Republic, for sharing his time and advice on the African broadband experience.

pistoletto

Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Metrocubo d’Infinito in un Cubo Specchiante (‘Square Metre of Infinity in a Mirror Cube’) is one of my favourite artworks in the world. It is as it describes: a one metre by one metre by one metre cube, formed of bound and inward-facing mirrors. There is something about this internal space that warps the mind: a cubic metre of infinity, a bounded space which no light can enter, but from which no light can escape, endlessly reflected, endlessly reproduced; a void, a chamber, an unseen, unknowable volume. It captures light, but repels inspection. It is an artefact worth attempting to hold in the mind, ultimately ungraspable, but always present.

If Pistoletto’s cube is a device for doing something interesting with light, it is one of many in humanity’s long history of communication and other technologies, of which beacons are among the first which might be considered networked. Scandinavian hill-forts, the Brecon Beacons, the coastlines of Elizabethan England and the Scottish Borders all played host to light-bearing networks, fires in the night, fires for warning and communicating. The Great Wall of China might be considered the first great light-based trunk line, a line of 723 beacons some 5,500 miles long. Beacons are also cited in the annals of shipwreckers, who were reputed to lure their targets onto shoals or beaches: dangerous, untrustworthy signals too.

photophone

The first wireless telephone transmission was also transmitted by light, on June 30th 1880. Alexander Graham Bell, just four years after being granted his patent for the wired telephone, successfully transmitted the sound of a human voice 700 feet from the roof of the Franklin School in Washington, DC, to the window of Bell’s laboratory. The device Bell created with his assistance Charles Sumner Tainter was the photophone, and he believed it to be his most important invention.

The photophone works by bouncing a beam of sunlight off a reflecting surface, which is vibrated by the voice of the speaker, directed towards the back of the reflector. These vibrations can be picked up a photovoltaic cell, and amplified, in order to reproduce the spoken words.

For this lecture, I built a photophone with a hodgepodge of electronics, and the assistance of a Jameco tutorial, enclosed in African fabrics from Ridley Road market, and a transmitter built from tin foil and a hollowed-out coconut. It works – sort of. The transmitted words are not distinguishable, but there’s definitely a voice speaking amongst the crackling and hissing.

myphotophone

Bell was aware of the limitations of his device – the very clouds above interfered strongly with transmission – but also wondered at it, eulogising in a letter to his father:

I have heard articulate speech by sunlight! I have heard a ray of the sun laugh and cough and sing! …I have been able to hear a shadow and I have even perceived by ear the passage of a cloud across the sun’s disk.

Wider reception was slightly more circumspect. In an editorial of August 30, 1880,
the New York Times wrote:

The ordinary man … will find a little difficulty in comprehending how sunbeams are to be used. Does Prof. Bell intend to connect Boston and Cambridge … with a line of sunbeams hung on telegraph posts, and, if so, what diameter are the sunbeams to be ….[and] will it be necessary to insulate them against the weather … until (the public) sees a man going through the streets with a coil of No. 12 sunbeams on his shoulder, and suspending them from pole to pole, there will be a general feeling that there is something about Professor Bell’s photophone which places a tremendous strain on human credulity.

This image, of carrying a coil of sunbeams over one’s shoulder, and speaking through them, is a resonant and beautiful one, but also, brilliantly, it turns out to be entirely the case. Our contemporary fiber optic communications are a direct descendant of Bell’s invention. What was missing was a method for secure transport, the enclosure of the sunbeam in a series of tubes that might encircle the world.

While we are increasingly familiar with the forms of overland network infrastructures, such as datacenters, carrier hotels, switches, from personal computers and devices up to high-orbit satellites, the light-bearing cable network remains largely invisible to us, buried in the dirt and threaded beneath the oceans.

We can track these lines partially via the computers they connect, through the IP addresses revealed by traceroutes. For example, running a traceroute between my studio in London, and the Nigerian ISP Starcom in Lagos.

traceroute

The series of IP addresses reveals a set of connections: from my local router, to BT exchanges in Chessington and Ilford, to the Telehouse complex back in East London again, out to Tata’s cable landing point a half mile from the sea in Highbridge, Somerset – and from there leaping first to Seixal in Portugal, another Tata facility, and then to Lagos, to a Main One Cable Landing Station and on to Starcom’s offices a few miles away.

(You can see all these locations on a Google Map – the most obscure location, that of the Main One CLS, I identified from a helpful engineer’s Foursquare checkin.)

It’s the last of these big jumps that’s the most interesting to me. The Main One cable was, at time of opening, the first African-owned cable bringing internet communications to the continent, a significant moment in national networking. The cable went live on July 22, 2010, connecting Seixal in Portugal, a major sea network hub, to Accra in Ghana and Lagos in Nigeria, and further connections to South Africa are planned.

Main One was followed by the GLO-1 system, owned by Nigerian telecommunications company Globacom, 9,800 km long with an advertised capacity of 2.5 Tbit/s, in 2011, also connecting Lagos and Ghana all the way back to the UK. Other complete or forthcoming Nigerian connections include SAT-3/WASC (2002), WACS (2012), ACE (2012) and WASACE (2015) (see submarinecablemap.com for details).

tyco

The Main One cable was laid by a ship called the Tyco Resolute, built in 2002, and one of a new generation of cable ships whose capacity, sensors and manoeuvrability permit ever more reliable and extensive undersea networks.

The process of laying cables across the ocean is a fascinating and venerable one, that proceeds in stages out into the deep ocean and back, ploughing trenches into the littoral to lay fragile cable under the sand in shallow areas, and paying it out across the deep seabed far from shore. These cables are fat bundles of optical fibers – millimetre-thick strands of glass, through which light is bounced all the way to its destination.

The most resonant moment comes when the ship reaches shore. When a cable-laying ship is a few hundred metres off shore, the last segment of cable is put on a small boat and brought to the beach. And there, thousands of miles from its origin, a man emerges from the ocean, carrying the internet over his shoulder. Sunbeams, indeed.

cablelanding

The impact of the arrival of true broadband communications are better covered elsewhere, but this is an impact driven by the arrival of these cables, these strands of light. Between 2008 and the end of 2011, according to studies by the World Bank and McKinsey, Nigeria’s online population alone went from 5% to 28% of the total – in a country with a population of 170 million. That’s 3.4 million, to 47.6 million internet users in four years.

Most of these users are concentrated in coastal cities close to the cable landing points: once the fibers reach land, their propagation – the backhaul – becomes the responsibility of the government, who control landbound infrastructures. The slow battle to upgrade these is in stark contrast to the sea, where private enterprise can do pretty much anything it likes, and does. In contrast to Nigeria, where residents complain about a lack of government investment in infrastructure, Kenya’s National Optic Fiber Backbone Infrastructure (NOFBI) is an ambitious plan to connect 36 administrative centres across the country, and from there to the population. A quiet war is building to be the internet heartland of Africa, and, so far, Kenya’s “Silicon Savannah” is making the most progress.

Other infrastructures are coming in to play too, including a microwave project by Main One to connect outlying areas of Lagos, and Nigeria’s National Space Research and Development Agency – the largest African space programme, which has put four satellites into orbit. The first of these failed, as satellites not infrequently do, but it was replaced in December 2011 by NigSatcCom-1R replaced it, broadcasting communications across the whole country. Two other satellites provide country-wide imaging, tracking crops and weather around the country in an effort to protect long-term food supply.

cable

But the sea cables will remain the roots and taps of the internet in Africa and across the world, and they are subject to a number of different pressures.

The first of these is their own fragility. Resting on the seabed, they are subject to damage, malicious or otherwise. They are severed by dragging anchors or scrap hunters – only last week the Egyptian government arrested three divers off Alexandria who it accused of cutting a cable. The navy had been acting on information from Telecom Egypt which reported that the major SMW-4 undersea cable had been broken. Cables are rapidly approaching the status of protected national infrastructures, targets both of security, and potentially of violence.

But over and above these physical concerns, there are questions of ownership and control. Main One and GLO-1 are rare exceptions: most of Africa’s connecting infrastructure is owned by companies based elsewhere. The largest cables are owned by European and Indian telcos; in July 2012, it was announced that the Chinese government would be funding the construction of NOFBI. Nigeria’s satellites are built in Britain, and launched in China. One of the claims repeated in Globacom’s promotional videos: “We connect Nigeria to London, and from there to the world”.

The topography of the network is shaped by older, historical pressures, shipping routes and the networks of Empire. As Julian Oliver notes in an excellent lecture, in which he identifies the pattern of Spanish ownership in South American cable systems, colonialism has moved up from the physical, national space into the sphere of the corporate. As ever, tracing these physical infrastructures reveals the patterns of politics that support them.

ancientlights

And this should come as no surprise, because light itself is political. One of the great examples among many is the “Ancient Lights” law in the UK. In effect, the owner of a building with windows that have received natural daylight for 20 years or more is entitled to forbid any construction or other obstruction that would deprive him or her of that illumination. Once a right to light exists, the owner of the right is entitled to “sufficient light according to the ordinary notions of mankind”. Light is a privilege.

We see this privileged light through the lenses of many of our contemporary technologies, such as the air- and car-borne LIDAR scanners which build our contemporary cartographies. We see it in the one-way viewpoint of fixed and helicopter surveillance – and in the laser weapons deployed against them. Light takes on different qualities when perceived by machines.

But my favourite example of this privileged light brings together two of my frequent obsessions. First, the Light of God, as detailed in a previous post:

Light-of-God

“We call it in, and we’re given all the clearances that are necessary, all the approvals and everything else, and then we do something called the Light of God – the Marines like to call it the Light of God. It’s a laser targetting marker. We just send out a beam of laser and when the troops put on their night vision goggles they’ll just see this light that looks like it’s coming from heaven. Right on the spot, coming out of nowhere, from the sky. It’s quite beautiful.”

That is a drone operator talking about targetting an IED site in Afghanistan or Iraq. It follows identification of the site by the operator using a thermal camera, and is immediately followed by a hellfire missile strike, watched by the operator as well as troops on the ground, and other military personnel in command centres, all the way up to the Pentagon. It’s a quote from Omer Fast’s extraordinary film “Five Thousand Feet is the Best” (2011, excerpt).

As I wrote then, I made the above image myself in photoshop, because I could not find one in the real world. And it took me some time to notice I had seen this same effect in action, before my own eyes – so to speak.

shard

For the opening of the Shard, currently Europe’s tallest building, in July of last year, the people of London were promised an extraordinary spectacle, a light show of unprecedented power. I was among those gathered on the riverside, and like many I was disappointed by the flickering of a few weedy fingers of green light. But the following day, the papers were filled with startling, spectacular images, unrecognisable to those present, but captured by the long-exposure sensors of the press photographers’ cameras.

This was a spectacle designed not for human sight, but for technology: power speaking to power through the lens of a privileging technology, like the marines in the desert with their thousands of dollars of augmented vision.

smartwater

The channels of light outwith the spectrum of human vision are the domain of the machines, and of power. The infrared rings of CCTV cameras allow them to see our activities, criminal or otherwise, in darkness. At the other end of the rainbow, ultraviolet light reveals security markings on banknotes, and the mark of Cain on smartwater-splattered faces. (UV inks are specially controlled by law, unsurprisingly.)

For the lecture, I also constructed another coconut enclosure, this one filled with infrared LEDs. On the left, the object as the human eye perceives it, on the right, its image seen through the lens and screen of an iPhone: a simple device for showing the other spectra visible to (expensive) machines, an augmentation of privileged technology.

signaller

The photophone and the iPhone signaller are devices for communicating the transport and politics of light: they relate directly to the infrastructures of communication cables, made possible by Bell’s invention, but invisible to human sight, and charged with intent.

For me, the networks of fiber optics that encircle the planet evoke rich mythic resonances, but also reveal the politics and power relationships inherent and embedded in all of our contemporary technologies. Light itself, privileged and political, stands in for all of our invisble, noumenal technologies.

Pistoletto’s cube, light-bearing networks, lasers and scanners; all these uses, anglings and reflections of light, force us to ask questions about the light itself. What is light when it is information rather than illumination? What is it when it is not perceived by the human eye? Deep beneath the streets and oceans, what is illuminated by the machines, and how are we changed by this illumination?

113. Source: TAB Events - in category 3D: Installation

Item: Maaya Miki “Sink-Sign-Sing— In Song I Play Signals Sunk Into The Deep”

Maaya Miki “Sink-Sign-Sing— In Song I Play Signals Sunk Into The Deep”
at 22:00 Gallery (Musashino, Tama area)
(2013-11-17 - 2013-12-18)

Musical representations of conceptual thought and the “absent expressions” that lie within are themes of Maaya Miki’s work. 22:00 Gallery now presents previous pieces as well as new works created while in residence at the gallery. [Related Event] Music Box Reading Night Dates: 11/23 (Sat), 12/7 (Sat), 12/14 (Sat) from 21:15 Free, reservations required Please see the official website for details and reservations.

114. Source: TAB Events - in category 3D: Installation

Item: Koichi Ebizuka “Lingering by the Water, Touching the Breeze”

Koichi Ebizuka “Lingering by the Water, Touching the Breeze”
at Museum Haus Kasuya (Yokohama, Kanagawa area)
(2013-11-01 - 2013-12-22)

Internationally recognized artist Koichi Ebizuka has received numerous awards, including the “Hirakushi Denchu Award” and has participated in such respected festivals as the “6th Indian Triennale” and the “19th Sao Paulo Biennale”. In recent years he has actively promoted arts education and its importance in society and in this exhibition he presents a series of new sculptural and installation works.

115. Source: TAB Events - in category 3D: Installation

Item: Bunny Smash - design to touch the world

Bunny Smash - design to touch the world
at Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (Kiyosumi, Ryogoku area)
(2013-10-03 - 2014-01-19)

As the society of the 21st century becomes ever more complex, design must also undergo significant change. Rather than a design which pursues the ever-consumed “new”, a design which aims to change awareness towards society is becoming increasingly important. This exhibition spotlights just such design, introducing 21 groups of artists, designers and architects from around the world who take up the fragments of our increasingly accelerated information-saturated society and deliver them in a concrete form to our hands. Reading the world with a unique eye, they offer up unexpected ways of thinking and sensing, not only through our visual senses but through a holistic experience, which calls into question established structures of knowledge and information, pointing towards a more active means of engaging with the world. Just as Alice chased the white rabbit only to find herself in a strange wonderland, there is design which may bring such an experience as to change our perception of the world. In this exhibition we are invited by a rabbit into a wonderland, only to have our preconceptions shattered, hence the title “Bunny Smash”. [Related Event] Artist Talk Date: 5th October(Sat) 15:00-17:30 Participants: Burak Arikan, Atelier Bow-Wow, Sputniko!, Daito Manabe, Shinichi Takemura, Sissel Tolaas, Judi Werthein and others With English and Japanese translation Yu Ishii Talk Date: 3rd November(Sun) 15:00-17:00 Moderator: Toshinao Sasaki Shinichi Takemura “Tangible Earth” Demonstration and Lecture Date: 16th November(Sat), 21st December(Sat) 13:00-14:00 Forum “Design to Touch the World” Date: 7th December(Sat) 15:00-17:00 Speakers: Taku Sato, Hiroshi Kashiwagi, Kenichiro Mogi, Yuko Hasegawa For further details please refer to the museum website

116. Source: TAB Events - in category 3D: Installation

Item: Tokujin Yoshioka “Crystallize”

Tokujin Yoshioka “Crystallize”
at Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (Kiyosumi, Ryogoku area)
(2013-10-03 - 2014-01-19)

Tokujin Yoshioka has gained international acclaim through an artistic practice which crosses between art, design and architecture. This exhibition offers the first opportunity to appreciate a range of his large scale installations brought together for the first time, with debuts of new work and a showcase of installations never shown in Japan before. New works include “Swan Lake” a painting crystallized accompanied by classical music, the crystallized sculpture “Rose” and “Spider Thread” a chair formed from 7 threads of string, as well as the renowned architectural work “Rainbow Church” created from a crystal prism and various other installations. This exhibition places a stress on creation from nature, pointing towards Yoshioka’s own thinking towards the relationship between humans and nature, which he shares in his process of crystallization.

117. Source: TAB Events - in category 3D: Installation

Item: Multi(Multi)(ple(s))

Multi(Multi)(ple(s))
at The Container (Ebisu, Daikanyama area)
(2013-12-02 - 2014-02-17)

The exhibition brings together a selection of Japanese and international contemporary artists to explore thoughts and ideas about art and retail, featuring a wide range of editioned works from professional artists– from prints to photographs, sculptures and objects to DVDs and books. Multi(Multi)(ple(s)) also converts The Container into a makeshift shop for the duration of the show, and takes the opportunity to launch an online store which will remain active even after the exhibition, challenging borders of the art market and democratizing art creation and the collection. The Container will also feature a vending machine, a symbol that is internationally synonymous with Japanese consumption, which will signed artworks by artists as a “Message in a Bottle”. Artists: Beatriz Inglessis, Hideki Nakazawa, Ami Clarke, Nadja Solari, Shibuhouse, Louise Harris, Zevs, Robert Waters, Jack McLean, Yu Araki

118. Source: TAB Events - in category 3D: Installation

Item: Metal Art Museum Hikarinotani Permanent Exhibition

Metal Art Museum Hikarinotani Permanent Exhibition
at Metal Art Museum Hikarinotani (Greater Tokyo area)

Our permanent exhibition, held on the first floor, features the work of metal-cast artists Hotsuma Katori and Shinobu Tsuda. Both being born in the same period, in the Hokuso area of Chiba Prefecture, the two were opposites in artistic viewpoints; Katori emphasized tradition while Tsuda called for revolution. Works on display will be rotated every three months.

119. Source: Art Zone Weekly Podcast

Item: Art Zone with Nancy Guppy 10/4/2013
Date: 4 October 2013, 4:00 am

Art Zone celebrates Earshot Jazz Festival making it to a quarter century. Pippi Longstocking slides across the Seattle Children`s Theatre stage. Cuong Vu Trio improvises in the Art Zone studio. Singer Naomi Wachira talks lyrics. Kook Teflon brings in 'psycho dolls,' and we get a backstage postcard from the Seattle Stranger Genius Awards.

Enclosure (m4v)

120. Source: Digital Filmmaking Blog

Item: TTTOW - A unique film festival
Date: 22 August 2013, 2:40 pm

TTTOW or Taxi Takes on The World is a unique film festival where anyone across the world can participate. All you need is a camcorder (a smartphone will do!), a taxi ride and the ensuing conversation with the taxi driver - recorded and sent to the organizers.

Yes, its as simple as that. But what exactly is this film festival about?

The Taxi Takes on the World is a crowd sourced interactive documentary about conversations between drivers and passengers from inside taxis all around the globe. This user generated project aims to harness honest grassroots interactions and present the world’s ‘video takes’ on matters that affect us all.

“Talks inside taxis are usually between people of diverse backgrounds and so offer a variety of perspectives. These ‘takes’ have the power to blur boundaries and bridge cultures. The Taxi Takes on the World will showcase crowd sourced video stories that mainstream media ignores about times when people find common ground and break stereotypes about the ‘other’. Mobile technology allows a democratization of media which aligns with my work’s vision for how new media will shape our future. This film festival will be part of a traveling film festival and offers a great opportunity to showcase citizens’ stories of brotherhood” - Vandana Sood - Giddings, Creator, Founder, Executive Director.

Date & Venues

The film festival will be held from The 21ST of September 2013 to the 2nd of October 2013 in Jammu and Kashmir, New Delhi, Punjab and Manipur. Kashmir and Manipur are both conflict states of India.

This film festival is a partnership between The Taxi Takes on the World project and Standing Together to Enable Peace, Trust (STEP) a non-profit organization established in New Delhi in 2009.

Themes

The film festival will focus on certain broad themes:

Religious and ethnic conflict
War and terror
Race
Gender
Class
Culture

Each of these broad global topics has regional nuances that the mainstream media often overlooks. Through the prism of the taxi, where every day people from often widely disparate backgrounds meet, this film festival will tell a story about how, given the right space, we all can understand each other and speak a common language.

Where & How to

Need guidance on how to go about it? Check out this short prezi that suggests the kind of questions you can ask to begin a conversation and start your take. Find the application procedure, rules & regulations all on the TTOW submissions">submissions page.

Hurry, the submissions deadline is September 10, 2013!

Enclosure

121. Source: Digital Filmmaking Blog

Item: 10 Free Video Editing Software for Filmmakers
Date: 6 July 2013, 7:48 am

Money is, by definition,

always a difficult issue for the low budget filmmaker. The challenge is in getting as much of your meagre budget up on the screen as possible. Luckily, by the wonders of open source development, just about every $800 software package has its freebie equivalent.

1. Lightworks

PC ( LINUX public beta released early 2013, MAC TBA)
An incredibly powerful editing package that is head and shoulders above all other freebie editing packages. Just take a look at their website to see some of the high profile projects that have used Lightworks. Lightworks has features that even some of the big packages don’t have without the addition of expensive plugins. With a strong community supporting it, this is only going to get better.
Get Lightworks here

2. HyperEngine-AV – Equivalent to Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro

MAC/PC
A decent editing package. A step up from the likes of imovie though still not up to the professional standards of the pricey packages. For simple edits though, you could do a lot worse.
Get HyperEngine-AV here

3. Avidemux

MAC/PC/LINUX
One of the best free editing packages out there. Avidemux allows you to do basic cutting, apply filters and work with a wide variety of different file types. It gets better with each release.
Get Avidemux here

4. Windows movie maker, pinnacle videospin

PC
These lightweight freebie editors should not be overlooked entirely. For quick edits and changes there’s no need for the big guns.
Get Windows Movie Maker
Get Pinnacle Videospin

5. Avid Free DV

MAC
This was a great idea but has sadly been discontinued by Avid. Avid Free DV is a free version of their high end editing software, preserving the interface but removing many of the advanced features. Great for simple editing whilst also learning your way around Avid. Copies are still floating around online, though now it’s unsupported it is just going to get more out of date with time. Get it while it’s still useful.
Get Avid Free DV here

6. MPEG Streamclip

MAC/PC
Another powerful, professional encoding and conversion tool. It accepts even the most obscure video formats and can even download YouTube videos. It is widely used as a simple tool for transcoding unwieldly DSLR footage.
Get MPEG Streamclip here

7. ffmpeg

MAC/PC/LINUX
A powerful encoding tool that can read and convert just about any video file format.
Get ffmpeg here

8. DCP Builder – Equivalent to taking your project to an expensive post house

MAC/PC/LINUX
Want to screen your film at the utmost quality? Modern digital projectors require something called a DCP (Digital Cinema Package). Most post houses will charge you several thousands for the privilege, even for a short. DCP Builder is free.
Get DCP Builder here

9. Open DCP

MAC/PC/LINUX
Another DCP package. Personally I’ve had better results with this one than with DCP Builder. But hey, they’re both free so give them both a shot and see what works best for you.
Get Open DCP here

10. Black Magic DaVinci Resolve Lite

MAC/PC/LINUX
A good colour correcting job can make your budget movie look a million dollars. Black Magic now offer a lite version of their powerful colour correcting tool absolutely free!

Get Black Magic DaVinci Resolve Lite here

Please feel free to add your own favourite free software that give an edge to the filmmaker.

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122. Source: Digital Filmmaking Blog

Item: Free stock footage, music from Video Blocks
Date: 11 January 2013, 10:54 am

Got an email yesterday about an upcoming company called Video Blocks that's offering free stock footage from their collection of over 50,000 video, motion backgrounds and production music - if you sign up for a 7-day trial.

The offer seemed really tempting so I did some research on Video Blocks and realized they were featured on TechCrunch too:

Anyhow, I still have to check them out. The 7-day trial offer is really tempting, the only catch is that they require your credit card info to complete the trial sign-up. This is so that if you forget to cancel your trial in 7 days you will be charged at their regular monthly fee of $79 per month. But this kind of marketing tactic is not new at all...many big and small retailers, including Netflix have used a similar model of internet marketing to generate leads.

In any case, if you're into video editing or post production this offer is really attractive. Even the monthly cost of $79 is quite a decent deal for the amount of stock footage and clips that Video Blocks have on offer. But if you think you're not at the stage where you can afford a recurring cost, just take up their 7-day free trial and remember to cancel before it ends!

Sign up for Video Blocks 7-day Free Trial Here

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123. Source: Digital Filmmaking Blog

Item: How Apple's new computers impact filmmaking
Date: 26 October 2012, 1:04 pm

The new Macbook Pro and iMac announced by Apple on October 24 heralds a major shift in the way PCs will be designed and have a cumulative impact on digital filmmaking.

Below are some of the major upgrades that affect the digital filmmaking process:

1. No Optical Drive: Both the new Macbook Pro with retina display and the new iMac have done away with the DVD drive, with Apple calling it obsolete in the age of blazing broadband speeds when movies and television can be easily streamed online or downloaded. The new iMac does have 2 Thunderbolt ports and 4 USB 3.0 ports to allow connection of external hard drives and other devices. Seeing that Apple is usually the trendsetter in computer design, we can expect competitors like HP and Dell to follow suit. This could spell the death knell for the DVD industry, and moviemakers will now be looking to go completely digital. Of course, home theatre systems and bluray players will ensure that the home video market doesn’t completely evaporate in the near future, but the transition to a more 'online' movie watching experience is surely on its way.

2. Much better screen resolutions: The new iMac has a full HD display (1,920 × 1,080 pixels) for the 21.5” version and 2,560 × 1,440 pixel for the 27” version. It certainly translates into a better film/video watching experience and the computer being used for watching movies and gaming more than ever. The Macbook Pro with Retina display boats of a tantalizing 2,560 x 1,600 at 227 pixels per inch. This one has four times the screen resolution of the previous 13-inch version of the MacBook Pro.

3. Super powerful processors: The new 21.5” iMac starts with a config of Intel Core i5 Quad Core 2.7 Ghz Processor with 8GB RAM , 1GB dedicated NVIDIA graphics and 1TB hard disk. Even the Macbook Pro with Retina display is all about performance, speed and graphics. It boasts of an Intel dual-core i5 Ivy Bridge processor clock at 2.5 Ghz (minimum) For graphics it has the Intel HD 4,000 graphics support. The RAM is 8 GB and its all-flash storage has three configurations available: 256 GB, 512 GB, or 768 GB. Such top-end configurations in the base models bode well for popular film editing applications like Final Cut Pro. Apple will be looking to release an even more powerful version of its flagship video editing app to utilize the full potential of its new line of computer devices.

The rise of smartphones and tablets coupled with faster broadband speeds have already given a fillip to the various kinds of digital filmmaking, both in terms of production and post production. Apple’s new line of smart computers will be prove to be another turning point, particularly because the optical drive has been dropped across its iMac and Macbook Pro ranges.

What do you think of Apple’s new devices, and their potential impact on filmmaking?

124. Source: Digital Filmmaking Blog

Item: 6 Frequently Used Transitions Between Shots
Date: 1 October 2012, 5:04 am

Film editing is all about making (mostly smooth) transitions from one shot to another. Here we briefly discuss the 6 frequently used transitions between shots:

1. CUT: The end of the first shot is attached to the beginning of the second shot. The most often used of all transitions, it creates an instantaneous change in one or more of the following: angle, distance, subject etc. In narrative films, normally only cuts are used within a scene.

2. MATCH CUT: A match cut (sometimes called a form cut) maintains continuity between two shots by matching objects with similar shapes or movements or both similar shapes and similar movements. One of the best known examples of a match cut is from 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), in which a bone slowly tumbling end over end in the air is replaced by an orbiting spacecraft with a similar shape. Watch video below for reference:

3. JUMP CUT: A jump cut is a discontinuous transition between shots. For example, one shot shows a woman running on a beach towards the water, and the next shot shows her running away from the water. A jump cut is sometimes used to surprise or disorient viewers. It may also occur if the film print or video has missing footage. Many filmmakers and film schools associate a jump cut with bad editing.

4. FADE OUT, FADE IN: The first shot fades to darkness, (normally black); then the second shot fades in(by degree goes from darkness to illuminated image). The fade out, fade in can provide a short but meaningful pause between scenes and sequences. If this editing transition is doe slowly, it can serve as a leisurely transition.; if done rapidly, it is less noticeable or not noticeable at all. Perhaps because of the current popularity of fast pacing in films, this transition is used far less often than it used to be,

5. LAP DISSOLVE: The first shot fades out as the second shot fades in, overlaps the first, then replaces it entirely. Lap dissolves may be rapid and nearly imperceptible or slow and quite noticeable, creating a momentary superimposition of two images, sometimes suggesting similarities or even meaning.

6. WIPE: A wipe seems to push one shot off the screen as it replaces it with the next shot. The wipe, which comes with many variations, has been popular in science fiction, serials and action movies. but it has also been used in such diverse films as It Happened on Night, (1934), The Maltese Falcon (1941), The Seven Samurai (1954), Ed Wood (1994) and Battlefield Earth (2000).

Many other transitions are used but much less often than these six mentioned above. We will post more on video editing techniques on the Digital Filmmaking Blog in the coming days,

Enclosure

125. Source: Digital Filmmaking Blog

Item: SXSW festival being streamed live
Date: 11 March 2012, 6:36 am

The South by Southwest multi-day gathering, also called the SXSW Festival, since it’s being livestreamed from Austin, TX, enabling viewers around the globe to feel the love even sitting in the comfort of their home.

entry.com/sites/webpronews/pictures/SXSW_616.jpg" imageanchor="1">

From March 9 - March 18, there’s a party going on, and you didn’t even need to fly there in order to attend. This event, which is popularly know by its acronym SXSW is streaming various live events, music and photos online here. Events are best viewed using Internet Explorer 9.

This year, more than 500 parties — a record — are on tap at venues around town. With its focus on music, film and interactive offerings, SXSW naturally attracts interest each year from record labels, film distributors and high-tech firms looking to make a big splash with lavish events featuring celebrities, freebies and, of course, lots of food and booze.

Overall, SXSW is known as a great creative mashup attracting filmmakers, distributors, music promoters, talent buyers, members of the national and international press, digital creatives, technology geeks, entrepreneurs, fans and fanatics. This year is the 19th time the South by Southwest film event is being held. The largest demographic represented among attendees are people in their 30’s (40%), followed by twenty-somethings (31%).

While it has a reputation for being hip, it aims to steer clear of being a stuffy, snobbish atmosphere, and based upon press testimonies , the South by Southwest gathering seems to have reached that goal in past years. And then some.

The interactive part of the festival continues for 4 more days through March 13th, while film viewing will last 8 more days through March 17th and for those who love the music events, there’s a great line up that will take folks out 9 more days, through March 18th.

A Microsoft gala last year at downtown's ACL Live venue, for example, reportedly cost $750,000. But the festival also appeals to other firms, including automakers, fashion designers, television networks and even the makers of Red Bull energy drink.

All are eager to reach the 20,000-plus trendsetters in town, hoping to generate buzz, which, in turn, generates sales.

Visit the South by Southwest home page for a more comprehensive list of events and programs.

126. Source: Digital Filmmaking Blog

Item: George Clooney honoured at Palm Springs Film Festival
Date: 23 November 2011, 9:20 am

George Clooney will receive the Chairman's Award for his acting work in The Descendants and his directing of The Ides of March at the 2012 Palm Springs International Film Festival.

The award will be presented on January 7 at PSIFF's annual Awards Gala, a black-tie event that always hands out an array of awards to luminaries who figure to be in the Oscar race.

Like the awards given at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in late January, the Palm Springs event has become a valuable stop on the Oscar campaign trail. Previous recipients of the Chairman's Award include Dustin Hoffman, Nicole Kidman and Ben Affleck.

Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams will also be rewarded for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in “My Week With Marilyn,” which is already generating Oscar buzz.

Williams, 31, will receive the Desert Palm Achievement Actress Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival awards gala at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Previous recipients include Academy Award winners Natalie Portman, Marion Cotillard, Charlize Theron and Kate Winslet.

“My Week With Marilyn,” which opens Wednesday in limited distribution, premiered Oct. 9 at the New York International Film Festival. Directed by Simon Curtis, the film was presented Nov. 6 as part of the AFI Fest at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, where Monroe put her hand and footprints in cement in 1952.

The Palm Springs International Film Festival runs Jan. 5-16 2012 at various venues in Palm Springs

Sources: mydesert.com & Reuters

Technorati Tags: film festivals,filmmaking

127. Source: Digital Filmmaking Blog

Item: Final Cut Pro X released
Date: 24 June 2011, 11:11 am

Apple has released Final Cut Pro X, the latest version of its professional video-editing software and one of the most popular programs for digital filmmaking.
Its actually been two days since FCP X was launched, and of course there’s been a strong buzz about it in the market. Video professionals were not only impressed with the new features, but with the new price too. Final Cut Pro X is available in the Mac App Store for $299.99. Compare that to 2009, when the fully loaded Final Cut Studio retailed for $999.99.

Final Cut Pro X is a big update for the powerful editing suite, in no small part because it is now (finally) built with 64-bit support. That means that the app will be able to take advantage of the additional memory space in Mac OS X Snow Leopard and the upcoming Mac OS X Lion.

Installing Final Cut Pro X
Since the only way to get Final Cut Pro X is through the Mac App Store, installation is easy: You just click "Buy" in the store, and the app's icon appears in your Finder, ready to run. You'll be able to install it on five Macs, and you receive updates automatically. The program requires at least a Core 2 Duo-based Mac running Snow Leopard, a decent video processor, 2.4GB of disk space, and 2GB RAM (4GB recommended).

The big new feature is called the Magnetic Timeline, which takes a trackless approach to editing. Like Adobe, Apple has also put a lot of effort into what it calls Content Auto-Analysis, which is another way of saying that the software uses meta-tags to better organize and import content, based on shot type, media format and other information.

Check out this video Apple released to show off the new features in Final Cut Pro X:

Enclosure

128. Source: Digital Filmmaking Blog

Item: Shortie Awards Youth Film Festival
Date: 6 May 2011, 5:28 am

awards.org/shortie_awards/Welcome_files/card-draft-5.jpg" />

Hollyn Randolph just mailed me in about the forthcoming Shortie Awards film festival.

The Shortie Awards film festival will be held June 5, 2011 in Arlington, VA a suburb of Washington D.C. The Shortie Awards recognizes original short film productions created by student filmmakers, ages 7-18, and their teachers.

This year we have entries from 26 states and 14 countries and India has 36 entries which is the largest number from outside of the US.

Apparently the last date for submitting the entries was April 1, 2011. But we can look forward to the screenings and the winners. Those who live around Arlingtom and Washington DC should attend the event!

129. Source: Digital Filmmaking Blog

Item: Short Film: Damn Your Eyes
Date: 26 April 2011, 5:52 am

David Guglielmo, an alumni of School of Visual Arts, New York emailed me his short film titled Damn Your Eyes.

Damn Your Eyes a Spaghetti Western-influenced revenge film shot on the Sony EX1 digital camera in the NY Metropolitan area for $5,000. It has been successful at film festivals and recently won two awards.

WINNER: "Best Student Film" at Royal Flush Festival '09
WINNER: "Best More Than Horror Short" at Buffalo Screams Horror Festival '10

I liked the visual quality of the film: the lighting, the locations, set, framing, composition etc. The DoP used the Sony EXI camcorder given to him pretty well. Most of the actors did a really professional job and that took the movie experience a notch higher. The screenplay could have been written better. Some of the moments in the movie were clichéd and boring but on the whole it is a decent production. What do you think of the movie? Please watch and comment (feed subscribers will need to visit the blog to watch it).

David Guglielmo must be congratulated for doing his excellent direction. Considering he is relatively new to this profession, he has done a laudable job that commands appreciation.
Digital filmmaking is indeed growing from strength to strength.

Enclosure

130. Source: Digital Filmmaking Blog

Item: Tribeca Film Festival Launches Online Version
Date: 23 March 2011, 7:50 pm

I had recently blogged about Tribeca Film Festival's announcement of filmmaking grants for funding documentaries of social significance. Well now it has gone a step further further launched an online version of the increasingly popular movie fest.

According to Hollywood Reporter, the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, which kicks off from April 20 and ends on May 1 in New York city, will have a new online component where audiences will be able to watch live streams of events and interact with other audience members.

Online audiences will also be allowed to submit questions to a host of festival executives and other notable guests and access detailed information on all of the online fest filmmakers. There will also be a Future of Film blog that will include posts from film and technology experts.

If you want to know about the screenings at Tribeca 2011, check out the Tribeca Film Festival 2011 film guide .

131. Source: Digital Filmmaking Blog

Item: Salon Films launches filmmaker training program
Date: 10 January 2011, 10:02 am

Salon Films will launch a cross-border training program for young Singapore and Hong Kong filmmakers, and a funding initiative in connection with the Hong Kong government subsidy for filmmakers.

The training program is organized with the Media Development Authority of Singapore to bring budding Singaporean filmmakers to work in Hong Kong and China.

The program began in Hong Kong, in partnership with the Academy of Film of the Hong Kong Baptist University, and continues in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, in cooperation with the China Film Foundation and CCTV, and will conclude in the Hengdian studio, lasting three weeks in each city.

The film crew is shooting a documentary to commemorate the 20th anniversary the establishment of economic relations between China and Singapore.

"Asian culture shares common origins," Wang said, "The training program is aimed at providing an opportunity for young filmmakers across Asia to meet, exchange ideas, and make films that speak to our mutual cultural roots."

To capitalize on the current prevalence of Hong Kong-Chinese co-productions and the growing film industry in China, the program also intends for young filmmakers and film students to obtain hands-on practical experience in China.

Film students at the Academy of Film of the Baptist University will also join the Salon team in Beijing and Hengdian.

132. Source: Digital Filmmaking Blog

Item: Tribeca announces filmmaking grants
Date: 17 September 2010, 2:08 pm

The Tribeca Film Institute announced Wednesday its submission period for grants is now open. TFI will award more than $500,000 in filmmaker support through 2011 and more than $100,000 through its new TFI Documentary Fund, presented by HBO.

The Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund provides finishing grants totaling $100,000 to feature-length documentaries that highlight and humanize topics of social significance. The TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund will award up to $140,000 to support compelling narrative filmmaking that explores scientific, mathematic and technological themes.

The Tribeca All Access Program will continue cultivating relationships between filmmakers from traditionally underrepresented communities and film industry executives, and provide each 2011 participant with $10,000. And, the TFI Latin America Media Arts Fund will support film and video artists working in narrative or documentary film and living in Mexico, Central and South America.

“We are excited to expand the reach and depth of our programming to support individual artists in the field,”

said TFI artistic director Beth Janson.

The early submission deadline is Nov. 8; final deadline is Dec. 8. More info: tribecafilminstitute.org.

133. Source: Digital Filmmaking Blog

Item: Taiwan's Tsai Liang is Asian Filmmaker of the Year
Date: 6 September 2010, 5:47 am

South Korea's most prestigious film festival said Wednesday it has chosen Taiwanese director Tsai Ming Liang as its Asian Filmmaker of the Year.

The Pusan International Film Festival praised Tsai's work over the past three decades for pioneering unexplored areas that overcome the limitations of the art film industry.

"His 30-year-long devotion to filmmaking has greatly influenced Asian cinema and made considerable contributions to enhance the global status of Asian cinema," it said in a statement.

"He is renowned for seeking fresh ways of communicating with his audience... We can find the root of his endless spirit of challenging himself and the borderlines of art in his earlier works in the 1990s."

Malaysian-born Tsai is best known for "Vive L'Amour" that won the Golden Lion (best picture) award at the Venice Film Festival in 1994, and "The River" that won the Silver Bear/Special Jury Prize at the 1997 Berlin International Film Festival.

The 52-year-old has also won numerous awards with other films.

He is considered a leading exponent of the "Second New Wave" -- a group of Taiwanese directors in the 1990s who produced films with realistic and sympathetic portrayals of life rather than melodramas or action pictures.

The festival, held in the southern port city of Busan since 1996, will be staged from October 7-15 this year.

134. Source: Digital Filmmaking Blog

Item: Latest Web startups for filmmakers
Date: 18 June 2010, 2:39 am

As the author of the Digital Filmmaking Blog I often get emails about the launch of a new film camera or filmmaking scholarhip or film training program requesting to get featured on this blog. Often I find those things overtly promotional and commercial and decide to ignore them. But I would like to list a few good web startups for filmmakers:

1. Tyro TV: tyrotv.com is a website that's intended for emerging television and filmmakers. They are sponsoring a new kind of online film festival/contest. According to the site owner,

We give young filmmakers a topic and everything they need to create their own movie -- video, music, and sound effects. Then let them create the best short film they can using these materials. Because everyone's using the same "building blocks," contestants will be judged not by their budget but on their creativity and storytelling abilities.

Their first competition is called "The Marijuana Mash-Up." For this contest, they are asking contestants to “mash up” (that is, creatively condense and re-edit) an hour’s worth of hilariously dated drug education films from the 50s and 60s to create a short campaign commercial that convinces people to vote for or against legalizing marijuana. The contest is motivated by the California initiative that'll be on the ballot this fall, but young filmmakers across the country have passionate views on this issue, to say the least! Finalists will be named late in the summer and a winner just before the election.

2. Fleetflicks: FleetFlicks.com is trying to revive the short film as both art and entertainment. It's a place for filmmakers to expose their work to an international audience. The site hopes to spread the word to a diverse viewership and combat the stigma that the short film is only for crotch-punch and cat videos. The site has been up for a few months and has gathered a lot of followers, many of whom have uploaded their short films on the site.

3. Student Film Makers of India: SFMI is a site for student film from India where they can upload their films, make their profile and network with other film makers. The website has a decent design and has got quite a few members already who have uploaded their short films and animations there.

135. Source: Digital Filmmaking Blog

Item: Jumpstart Your Film and Television Career: 5 powerful TIPS on how to land more tv film jobs than you can handle
Date: 23 April 2010, 6:57 pm

This is a guest post by Ian Agard of ianagard.com. Ian is a Toronto based writer/director/film producer who loves to entertain and inspire people through his movies and his filmmaking blog.

As you probably know, one of the most desirable yet challenging industries to make a living from is in the film and television industry.

By far, the most commonly asked question I receive from people throughout my six years working as actor, screenwriter, director and film producer is...how do you get into the industry and make a living?

As a film producer; I have interviewed, hired and worked with several casts and crews while making my films. It becomes quite easy to notice the difference between individuals who struggle to find film/tv work and those who make a comfortable living.

Is it about luck?

Or

Who you know?

I would like to share with you 5 POWERFUL TIPS that will help you jumpstart your film/tv career and get you on the road towards landing more paying industry work than you can handle.

TIP Number One: Be Willing To Work For Free

I know, you probably didn’t want to hear that but it’s imperative that you are willing to either work for free or very low pay. It’s a sacrifice that many in the entertainment industry must do when starting out, however, you’ll have the opportunity to meet others in the business as well as learn on the job. Taking “free” jobs quickly leads to full time careers.

TIP Number Two: Attitude Is Everything

This is one of the most important tips regarding developing a successful film/tv industry career. More important than your talent, your experience or your education; your attitude will determine how far you will rise within your career.
It will determine if people will refer job opportunities to you or hire you again for future projects. You must be a flexible, professional, team oriented person who is committed to “serving” the story/project to the best of your ability.

Production sets are full of egos, there’s no need for one more.

TIP Number Three: Recognize and seizure opportunity

You’ve probably heard the old saying luck is when preparation meets opportunity. I like to believe in a slightly different statement, luck = opportunity + willingness.
A certain film/tv industry work opportunity might present itself to you; you’re prepared...but are you willing to maybe work for free, work for low pay, work 12 hour days, be team-oriented, be flexible and agreeable or go the extra mile to help the project succeed.

TIP Number Four: Network and be visible

The reality of the film/TV industry is that most production jobs are never advertised. Those positions are usually filled through word of mouth and pre-established relationships. That’s why it is extremely important for you to always be committed to meeting new like-minded people.
The best places to meet and connect with people who share your zeal and passion are:

1) Onset while shooting a movie or television show
2) Through industry specific classes
3) At film festivals

TIP Number Five: Always be learning

As humans, we are learning machines. We are most alive and functioning closest to our potential when we are learning, adapting, adjusting and finding new ways, approaches and techniques to improve our lives (and our careers)in some way.

No matter how many years working experience you might have within the film/TV industry it would be hugely important for you to maintain a beginner’s mindset. A beginner looks constantly for one new tibit, one or more ways to expand on their current expertise.

To learn more valuable tips and in-depth advice, listen to my MP3 60 minute audio interview with film and television expert and veteran Stephen Dranitsaris at: www.ianagard.com/tv-film-jobs

136. Source: TREND HUNTER - The Latest Trends

Item: Time Machine Alarm Clocks - This TARDIS Alarm Clock Gives Sleepers the Ultimate Wake-Up Call (TrendHunter.com)
Date: 10 December 2013, 7:18 am

(TrendHunter.com) Travel anywhere in time and space with this incredible Doctor Who TARDIS alarm clock. Modeled after the large blue police box that serves as the title character's spaceship and time machine,...

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137. Source: TREND HUNTER - The Latest Trends

Item: Chic Paper Lamp Shades - The Orikomi Pendant Light Collection Comes from a Company Called Blaanc (TrendHunter.com)
Date: 10 December 2013, 3:20 am

(TrendHunter.com) This charming pendant light collection is called ‘Orikomi' and comes from a home decor company called Blaanc. Each of these handmade lights is injected with a little color, but they'...

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138. Source: RSS - The Art Newspaper

Item: Emin slams Russia over gay rights
Date: 7 December 2013, 8:01 am

Artist says she is “very reluctant” to be involved in planned YBA exhibition in Moscow, but will use the opportunity to promote equality

139. Source: Vispo.com Multimedia

Item: New Directions in Digital Poetry -- Chris Funkhouser
Date: 21 January 2012, 4:50 pm

Funhouser's new book discusses, among other works, my pieces named Arteroids, dbCinema, and the Stir Fry Texts. Chris is also the author of the first book-length study of the history of digital poetry (called Prehistoric Digital Poetry).

140. Source: The Temple News » Art

Item: Residency leads to collaboration
Date: 19 November 2013, 7:40 am

Artist Katie Grinnan incorporated student work into her art.

The article residency-leads-collaboration/">Residency leads to collaboration by Alexa Bricker appeared first on The Temple News.

141. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: The Sixty-Second A. W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts: Out of Site in Plain View: A History of Exhibiting Architecture since 1750: Framed and Hung: Architecture in Public from the Salon to the French Revolution, Part 1
Date: 5 November 2013, 8:00 am

Barry Bergdoll, The Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art, and professor, Columbia University. In first lecture, originally delivered at the National Gallery of Art on April 7, 2013, architectural historian Barry Bergdoll, presents diverse techniques of architectural display developed since the mid-18th century. Far from being poor substitutes for the real experience of architecture as a spatial art in situ, these techniques have been integral to architecture's stake in the evolving discourses of modernity. This lecture considers the entry of architects into the exhibition venues of the mid-18th century and radical new ideas for architecture under the French Revolution.

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142. Source: The Temple News » Art

Item: A View from the Top
Date: 22 October 2013, 7:00 am

Conrad Benner’s blog calls attention to Philly’s street art culture.

The article A View from the Top by Patricia Madej appeared first on The Temple News.

143. Source: The Temple News » Art

Item: Philly art contest asks users to Instagram
Date: 10 September 2013, 4:40 am

Visit Philly is teaming up with the campaign With Art Philadelphia for a contest that calls for some creativity. The organization is utilizing social media by encouraging Instagram and Twitter users to take photos of Philadelphia art and apply the hashtag “#PhillyArtContest.” Caroline Bean, the director of social media at Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, helped make the new photo contest come alive.…

The article Philly art contest asks users to Instagram by Chelsea Finn appeared first on The Temple News.

144. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: Jeff Wall on His Work
Date: 3 September 2013, 9:00 am

September 2013 - Jeff Wall, artist. Canadian-born photographer Jeff Wall first became interested in photography in the mid-1960s. He was struck by the perfectionism that characterized the practice at that time—the idea that photographs should, and must, document the world as it is. Photography seemed to be strict reportage, instead of allowing for collaboration between the photographer and subject (as with cinematography). Films were composed of a series of still photographs, but the potential for collaboration within a single photograph had not yet been realized. In this lecture recorded at the National Gallery of Art on April 17, 1999, Wall discusses his work and his relation with what he calls cinematography. He works with performers and prepares the composition to create an image of something that he has actually seen. Through the large-scale photographs for which he is best known, Wall seeks to tell a fragment of a story and allow spectators to finish the story for themselves.

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145. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: Bronislava Nijinska: A Choreographer's Journey
Date: 20 August 2013, 9:00 am

August 2013 - Lynn Garafola, professor of dance, Barnard College, Columbia University. Bronislava Nijinska, the sister of famed ballet dancer and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky, was a pioneer of the modern tradition of ballet. In spring 2013, Lynn Garafola was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to support her research on Nijinska. In this lecture recorded on July 7, 2013, at the National Gallery of Art, Garafola shares her latest research and thoughts about how Nijinska's life and work not only illuminated modern ballet history, but 20th century culture as a whole. In 1913 Nijinska was evicted from her brother's production The Rite of Spring for getting married, an act that he perceived as a betrayal. Afterward, although she was no longer dancing for her brother, Nijinska still played a crucial role in the dissemination of modernism. The longevity of her career eclipsed that of her brother's, and her work influenced numerous dancers and choreographers. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909–1929: When Art Danced with Music, on view at the Gallery from May 12 to October 6, 2013, this lecture was supported in loving memory of Shirley Casstevens.

Enclosure (mp3)

146. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: Conversations with Collectors: Robert and Jane Meyerhoff
Date: 5 March 2013, 8:00 am

March 2013 - Robert and Jane Meyerhoff, collectors, in conversation with Irving Blum, collector and co-founder of the Ferus Gallery, Los Angeles. To celebrate the exhibition opening of The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection: 1945-1995 at the National Gallery of Art on March 31, 1996, the Meyerhoffs joined Irving Blum to discuss the history and practice of their collecting. On view through July 21, 1996, the exhibition presented 194 works, almost their entire collection of post-World War II art. The Meyerhoffs' acquisitions have been based wholly on their belief in the quality of individual works and not on any preconceived theory or plan. If they were passionate about an artist, they collected his or her work in depth. Their private residence has a room dedicated to each of the following artists: Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, and Frank Stella. The collection is both a tribute to the extraordinarily high level of accomplishment by these artists and to the Meyerhoffs' intuition.

Enclosure (mp3)

147. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: William H. Johnson
Date: 19 February 2013, 8:00 am

February 2013 - Gwendolyn H. Everett, assistant professor, department of art, Howard University Gwendolyn H. Everett, scholar and author of the award-winning children's book Li'L Sis and Uncle Willie: A Story Based on the Life and Paintings of William H. Johnson, provides an overview of William Henry Johnson's (1901-1970) career as part of the Five African American Artists lecture series recorded on August 3, 2003. Everett traces Johnson's determination to become an artist, despite a humble upbringing in South Carolina, to his years at a segregated elementary school where art was not part of the formal curriculum. In 1918, during the first Great Migration, Johnson moved to New York to pursue artistic training unavailable in the South. While living in Harlem and working several jobs to support himself, he was accepted into the prestigious National Academy of Design. Noted watercolorist Charles Webster Hawthorne provided critical mentorship at the academy, hired Johnson to work at the Cape Cod School of Art, and sponsored his further training in Europe. Johnson supplemented this sponsorship with prizes awarded by the academy and funds earned working for Ashcan School painter George Luks. In 1920s Paris, Johnson lived in the former studio of James McNeill Whistler and became acquainted with Henry O. Tanner, an African American expatriate artist who had achieved international acclaim and who would become a pivotal figure in Johnson's rise to prominence. Follow along as Everett illustrates Johnson's journey—marked by determination, strengthened by hard work, and bolstered by the support of influential artists—that led him to become one of the greatest American artists of the 20th century.

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148. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: Artists in Residence: Henry O. Tanner in the Holy Land
Date: 12 February 2013, 8:00 am

February 2013 - Gwendolyn H. Everett, lecturer, National Gallery of Art. As part of the Artist in Residence lecture series, Gwendolyn H. Everett focused on Henry Ossawa Tanner's (1859-1937) visits to the Holy Land, and how this travel affected the later religious paintings for which he achieved international recognition. In this podcast recorded on August 9, 1987, Everett explains the formative influence of Tanner's upbringing in an educated, religious family in post-Civil War Philadelphia. Tanner's father was a minister and, later, a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and his mother administered a Methodist school. Tanner enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts as the only African American student in 1879, graduating in 1885. His professor, the artist Thomas Eakins, encouraged a progressive method of study from live models instead of plaster casts, which profoundly affected Tanner. after 1891 Tanner resided primarily in France; by 1895 his paintings were mostly of biblical themes, and in 1897 he made his first trip to the Holy Land, where his firsthand experience led to mastery of religious subject matter. He visited the region several times to explore mosques and biblical sites, and to complete character studies of the local population, as he had learned from Eakins. Tanner invigorated religious painting with modernism and with his deeply rooted faith, achieving renown in the international art world.

Enclosure (mp3)

149. Source: The Temple News » Art

Item: 3rd Street Gallery’s Philadelphia Community Exhibit puts local talent on display
Date: 30 January 2013, 12:29 pm

Local artists of any skill level could submit art to the gallery's Philadelphia Community Exhibit, which opens to the public today, Jan. 30.

The article 3rd Street Gallery’s Philadelphia Community Exhibit puts local talent on display by Cheyenne Shaffer appeared first on The Temple News.

150. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: Roy Lichtenstein's Kyoto Prize Lecture of 1995
Date: 29 January 2013, 8:00 am

January 2013 - Harry Cooper, curator and head, department of modern art, National Gallery of Art, with original slides courtesy of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein. On November 11, 1995, Roy Lichtenstein was in Japan to receive the Kyoto Prize from the Inamori Foundation. In accepting the award, he delivered a lecture on the evolution of his work since his Pop breakthrough of 1961. Thanks to the generosity of the artist's estate and foundation, Harry Cooper, the National Gallery of Art's curator of modern art, presented this lecture at the Gallery, with the original slides, on January 9, 2013—in honor of Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective, the first major exhibition of the artist's work since his death in 1997. The exhibition was on view at the Gallery from October 14, 2012, to January 13, 2013.

Enclosure (mp3)

151. Source: The Temple News » Art

Item: ‘RAW’ talent showcased in awards ceremony
Date: 13 November 2012, 6:40 am

The RAW Awards will showcase design talent in Philadelphia, with winners advancing to compete on a national level.

The article ‘RAW’ talent showcased in awards ceremony by Taylor Farnsworth appeared first on The Temple News.

152. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: Architecture and Art: Creating Community
Date: 12 June 2012, 9:00 am

June 2012 - David Adjaye, principal architect, Adjaye Associates; Elizabeth Diller, principal architect, Diller Scofidio + Renfro; Tom Finkelpearl, executive director, Queens Museum of Art; Sarah Lewis, art historian, author, and curator; and Robert Storr, chairman of FAPE's Professional Fine Arts Committee and dean of the Yale School of Art. In collaboration with the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies (FAPE) and in the spirit of its Leonore and Walter Annenberg Award for Diplomacy through the Arts, the National Gallery of Art hosted this annual panel discussion on May 15, 2012. Featuring noted architects David Adjaye and Elizabeth Diller, and moderated by Robert Storr, the program focused on how architecture and art bring people together in public spaces. Adjaye currently serves as the lead designer for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is slated to open on the National Mall in 2015. Diller, along with Ricardo Scofidio and Charles Renfro, recently completed the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Redevelopment Project. Also participating were Tom Finkelpearl, executive director of the Queens Museum of Art, which broke ground last year on an expansion that will double its size; and Sarah Lewis, a PhD candidate at Yale University who is currently finishing RISE, a book that "explores the advantage of resilience and so-called failure in successful creative human endeavors."

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153. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: Solving the East/West Conundrum in Modern Chinese Art
Date: 1 May 2012, 9:00 am

May 2012 - Martin J. Powers, Sally Michelson Davidson Professor of Chinese Arts and Cultures and former director, Center for Chinese Studies, University of Michigan. At the beginning of the 20th century, artists in China found themselves in a no-win situation: if they made use of Chinese brushwork, their art was considered "traditional," and if they adapted European or modernist methods, it was called "derivative." We may call this the East/West conundrum in modern Chinese art. Against the background of a long history of cultural competition in China, Martin J. Powers explores several ways in which Chinese artists managed to transcend the East/West conundrum in recent decades. Professor Powers delivered this lecture in both English and Mandarin on February 19, 2012, at the National Gallery of Art.

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154. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: Conversations with Artists: Joel Shapiro, Thoughts on the Organization of Form in Modern Sculpture
Date: 13 March 2012, 9:00 am

March 2012 - Joel Shapiro, artist. Following the installation of Joel Shapiro's Untitled (1989) in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden with other major post–World War II sculptures, the artist received an invitation to curate an exhibition of his work alongside the 19th-century sculpture of Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux. In this podcast recorded on March 9, 2003, Shapiro explains that the upcoming exhibition gave him on opportunity to focus on the continuity of thought in sculpture. Although certain ideas for form in sculpture seem radical and contemporary, their ideas have already been discovered and worked with in earlier times. Shapiro finds that the development of form seems to repeat itself, although it is ever-changing, more or less focused, and contextualized by the era in which it was created.

Enclosure (mp3)

155. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: A Sense of Place—Norman Lewis in Harlem: "An Inquiry into the Laws of Nature"
Date: 28 February 2012, 8:00 am

February 2012 - Ruth Fine, curator of special projects in modern art, National Gallery of Art. In this podcast recorded on January 15, 2006, Ruth Fine discusses the Harlem-based life and career of Norman Lewis in honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday weekend. Lewis was born in Harlem in 1909 and died in New York at the age of 70. Except for short periods spent elsewhere, New York and, in one way or another, the Harlem community remained Lewis' home base throughout his life. Harlem changed radically during the artist's lifetime, becoming the cultural center of black America. He is considered by many to be the first African American artist fully engaged by abstraction. Lewis' drawings, paintings, and prints date from the 1930s to 1970. Supporting himself as an elevator operator, house painter, short-order chef, merchant marine, tailor, and taxi driver, Lewis worked steadily at his art. "I have sustained myself in whatever the moment called for and done what has been necessary to just exist." Lewis' art and attitudes were highly influential on the next generation of African American artists, including Melvin Edwards, Sam Gilliam, and William T. Williams

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156. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: Nazi Loot in American Collections
Date: 21 February 2012, 8:00 am

August 2012 - Nancy Yeide, head of the department of curatorial records and files, National Gallery of Art, and the Ailsa Mellon Bruce Curatorial Sabbatical Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art. The looting of cultural property by Nazi forces has been called the "Greatest Theft in History." In total, the Nazis looted more than 200,000 individual items, including paintings, sculptures, and tapestries, during World War II, primarily from Jewish owners in the occupied countries. In this lecture recorded on February 2, 2003, at the National Gallery of Art, Nancy Yeide provides the provenance of famous cases to explore how some looted art ended up in American collections and museums. Yeide also discusses how Hermann Göring, founder of the Gestapo and commander of the German Air Force, used his political and military power to amass the largest private art collection in Europe.

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157. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: Conversations with Artists-Compositions and Collaborations: The Arts of Lou Stovall
Date: 21 February 2012, 8:00 am

February 2012 - Lou Stovall, artist, in conversation with Ruth Fine, curator of special projects in modern art, National Gallery of Art. As part of the National Gallery of Art summer lecture series Five African American Artists: Johnson-Tanner-Johnson-Stovall-Thomas, Lou Stovall participated in a Conversations with Artists program with Ruth Fine on August 3, 2003. "Compositions and Collaborations: The Arts of Lou Stovall" is a rare opportunity to hear Stovall discuss his own work and his collaborations with other artists, and to listen as he responds to questions from the audience. Stovall has been a major figure in the Washington, DC, arts community since the early 1960s, when he arrived at Howard University for his BFA program. In 1968 Stovall founded Workshop, Inc., a professional printmaking studio, where he has collaborated with more than 70 artists over the years. In addition to his own drawings and silkprints, and his collaborative printmaking projects, Stovall is a published essayist and poet.

Enclosure (mp3)

158. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: Florence: Days of Destruction
Date: 13 December 2011, 8:00 am

December 2011 - Bryan Draper, Collections Conservator, University of Maryland Libraries; Norvell Jones, retired Chief of the Document Conservation Branch, National Archives; and Sheila Waters, calligrapher. Recalling the 45th anniversary of the catastrophic flood of Florence in 1966, the National Gallery of Art, in association with the University of Maryland Libraries presented a rare screening of Franco Zeffirelli's Florence: Days of Destruction (Per Firenze) on November 5, 2011. The famed Italian director's sole documentary is a heartfelt call to action containing the only known footage of the flood, accented by Richard Burton's voiceover commentary. The film is in the collection of the University of Maryland Libraries, College Park. Program speakers included Bryan Draper, Collections Conservator, University of Maryland Libraries; Norvell Jones, retired Chief of the Document Conservation Branch, National Archives; and Sheila Waters, calligrapher, who participated in the conservation efforts in post-flood Florence.

Enclosure (mp3)

159. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: Morse at the Louvre
Date: 15 November 2011, 8:00 am

November 2011 - A two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author and recipient of the National Book Award, David McCullough discusses his new book, The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris. In this podcast recorded on September 26, 2011, at the National Gallery of Art, McCullough tells the story of America's longstanding love affair with Paris through vivid portraits of dozens of significant characters. Notably, artist Samuel F. B. Morse is depicted as he worked on his masterpiece The Gallery of the Louvre. McCullough spoke at the Gallery in honor of the exhibition A New Look: Samuel F. B. Morse's "Gallery of the Louvre," on view from June 25, 2011, to July 8, 2012. The exhibition and program were coordinated with and supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Enclosure (mp3)

160. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: The Moment of Caravaggio: Part 5: Severed Representations
Date: 30 August 2011, 9:00 am

August 2011 - Michael Fried, J. R. Herbert Boone Professor and director of the Humanities Center, The Johns Hopkins University In a series of six lectures, Michael Fried offers a compelling account of what he calls "the internal structure of the pictorial act" in the revolutionary art of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. The accompanying publication, The Moment of Caravaggio, is available for purchase from the Gallery Shops. In this audio podcast of the fifth lecture, originally delivered at the National Gallery of Art on May 12, 2002, Professor Michael Fried discusses how the "violent" birth of the full-blown gallery picture (as seen in Judith and Holoferenes) is figured in Caravaggio's art as beheading or decapitation, an allegory for the act of painting.

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161. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: The Moment of Caravaggio: Part 6: Painting and Violence
Date: 30 August 2011, 9:00 am

August 2011 - Michael Fried, J. R. Herbert Boone Professor and director of the Humanities Center, The Johns Hopkins University In a series of six lectures, Michael Fried offers a compelling account of what he calls "the internal structure of the pictorial act" in the revolutionary art of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. The accompanying publication, The Moment of Caravaggio, is available for purchase from the Gallery Shops. In this audio podcast of the sixth lecture, originally delivered at the National Gallery of Art on May 19, 2002, Professor Michael Fried argues that Caravaggio's art should be understood not simply as a monument to a revolutionary style of pictorial realism, but also as an investigation into the psychic and physical dynamic that went into its making. Fried evokes this dynamic with concepts introduced in earlier lectures, including immersion and specularity, absorption and address, painting and mirroring, and optical and bodily modes of realism�what he calls "the internal structure of the pictorial act."

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162. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: The Moment of Caravaggio: Part 4: Absorption and Address
Date: 23 August 2011, 9:00 am

Enclosure (mp3)

163. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: The Moment of Caravaggio: Part 3: The Invention of Absorption
Date: 16 August 2011, 9:00 am

Enclosure (mp3)

164. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: The Moment of Caravaggio: Part 2: Immersion and Specularity
Date: 9 August 2011, 9:00 am

August 2011 - Michael Fried, J. R. Herbert Boone Professor and director of the Humanities Center, The Johns Hopkins University In a series of six lectures, Michael Fried offers a compelling account of what he calls "the internal structure of the pictorial act" in the revolutionary art of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. The accompanying publication, The Moment of Caravaggio, is available for purchase from the Gallery Shops. In this audio podcast of the second lecture, originally delivered at the National Gallery of Art on April 21, 2002, Professor Michael Fried addresses Caravaggio's engagement with the act of painting, and contrasts that with specular moments of detachment. Fried argues that this divided relationship lies at the heart of Caravaggio's most radical art.

Enclosure (mp3)

165. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: The Moment of Caravaggio: Part 1: A New Type of Self-Portrait
Date: 2 August 2011, 9:00 am

August 2011 - Michael Fried, J. R. Herbert Boone Professor and director of the Humanities Center, The Johns Hopkins University. In a series of six lectures, Michael Fried offers a compelling account of what he calls "the internal structure of the pictorial act" in the revolutionary art of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. The accompanying publication, The Moment of Caravaggio, is available for purchase from the Gallery Shops. In this audio podcast of the first lecture, originally delivered at the National Gallery of Art on April 14, 2002, Professor Michael Fried opens the lecture series with a discussion of Caravaggio's Boy Bitten by a Lizard. He argues for its significance as a disguised self-portrait of the artist in the act of painting.

Enclosure (mp3)

166. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: Calling the Earth to Witness: Paul Gauguin in the Marquesas
Date: 31 May 2011, 9:00 am

May 2011 - June Hargrove, professor of 19th-century European painting and sculpture, University of Maryland at College Park. Professor June Hargrove discusses artist Paul Gauguin's struggle in the final months of his life, after moving to the Marquesas Islands, to show the world his contributions to the creative process. Recorded on May 15, 2011, and held in conjunction with the exhibition Gauguin: Maker of Myth, this lecture examines the paintings from 1902 and attests that, for all his talk of savagery and cannibalism, Gauguin created some of his most serene masterpieces during this time.

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167. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: Elson Lecture 1998: I. M. Pei in conversation with Earl A. Powell III
Date: 12 April 2011, 9:00 am

April 2011 - I. M. Pei, architect, in conversation with Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art Legendary architect I. M. Pei appears in conversation with Gallery director Earl A. Powell III to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the opening of the East Building of the National Gallery of Art. In this podcast recorded on March 26, 1998, Pei discusses the evolution of the East Building�s design and construction from the time Pei was awarded the commission until the building was dedicated by President Jimmy Carter on June 1, 1978.

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168. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: Film Design: Translating Words into Images
Date: 25 January 2011, 8:00 am

January 2011 - Patrizia von Brandenstein, Academy Award�winning production designer. Production designers define the appearance of a film, bringing to life written scripts by working with producers, directors, and their crews to achieve the desired look of a picture. Academy Award winner Patrizia von Brandenstein shared her practical knowledge of production design and used clips from several of her films, including Amadeus (1984), Six Degrees of Separation (1993), and The Last Station (2010), to illustrate the result of many years of research and visual interpretation.

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169. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: Martin Puryear: "Sculpture that Tries to Describe Itself to the World"
Date: 28 September 2010, 9:00 am

September 2010 - Ruth Fine, curator of special projects in modern art, National Gallery of Art. In this podcast recorded on June 22, 2008, for the Martin Puryear retrospective exhibition opening at the National Gallery of Art, curator Ruth Fine discusses the work of District of Columbia native Martin Puryear. The retrospective included 46 sculptures made between 1975 and 2007. The first exhibition in the Gallery's history to be installed in both the East and West Buildings, it provided a unique opportunity to view Puryear's sculpture in modern and classical settings. Fine discusses the installation process for Puryear's work at the Gallery, designed in collaboration with the artist, as well as the intentions behind the placement of sculptures.

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170. Source: Walker Art Center Audio Tour

Item: *1420.1 - Pink Submission
Date: 10 July 2010, 5:33 am

Sarah Fox: Pink Submission - Artist Comments

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171. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: Graft by Roxy Paine
Date: 8 December 2009, 8:00 am

December 2009, Behind the Scenes - Molly Donovan, associate curator, department of modern and contemporaryart, National Gallery of Art, Washington. In 2009 the National Gallery of Art commissioned American sculptor Roxy Paine to create a stainless steel Dendroid, as the artist calls his series of treelike sculptures, for the Sculpture Garden. In this podcast produced on the occasion of the completed work�the first contemporary sculpture installed in the Sculpture Garden in the nearly 10 years since it opened�associate curator Donovan talks to host Barbara Tempchin about Graft.

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172. Source: Walker Art Center Audio Tour

Item: *1299.1 - Enron Award - 2001 World’s Best Companies with letter addressed to Ken Lay
Date: 13 June 2009, 5:38 am

Global Fin@nce: Enron Award - 2001 World’s Best Companies with letter addressed to Ken Lay - Curator Comments

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173. Source: Walker Art Center Audio Tour

Item: *1195.1 - 2006 British Television Advertising Awards
Date: 24 October 2008, 5:31 am

Peter Bigg: 2006 British Television Advertising Awards - Curator Comments

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174. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: Rauschenberg's Experiments in Printmaking
Date: 27 November 2007, 9:41 am

November 2007, Backstory - Guest: Charles Ritchie, associate curator of modern prints and drawings, National Gallery of Art, Host: Barbara Tempchin. Robert Rauschenberg has been at the forefront of American art for more than 50 years. His bold, innovative experiments in printmaking are the focus of an exhibition called Let the World In: Prints by Robert Rauschenberg from the National Gallery of Art and Related Collections. In this Backstory, host Barbara Tempchin and Charles Ritchie, exhibition curator, discuss the impact Rauschenberg's prints have had on artists worldwide. Produced in conjunction with the exhibition Let the World In: Prints by Robert Rauschenberg from the National Gallery of Art and Related Collections.

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175. Source: National Gallery of Art | Audio

Item: Telling the Edward Hopper Story
Date: 3 September 2007, 9:00 am

September 2007, Backstory - Guest: Carroll Moore, film and video producer, National Gallery of Art. The iconic paintings and artistic impact of Edward Hopper are the subject of a new documentary film that accompanies the exhibition Edward Hopper on its Boston-Washington-Chicago tour. Award-winning producer Carroll Moore speaks with Tempchin about the making of this illuminating film.

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176. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Graphics

Item: Koutaro Inoue + Hiro Tsuchiya + Ikumi Nakayama “Winter Show”

Koutaro Inoue + Hiro Tsuchiya + Ikumi Nakayama “Winter Show”
at Koki Arts (Bakurocho area)
(2013-11-29 - 2013-12-28)

177. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Graphics

Item: The Beautiful Black List – Tracing the 50 Years of D&AD Awards

poster for The Beautiful Black List – Tracing the 50 Years of D&AD <span style= Awards" />
The Beautiful Black List – Tracing the 50 Years of D&AD Awards
at Advertising Museum Tokyo (Ginza, Marunouchi area)
(2013-10-19 - 2014-01-19)

The England-based NPO D&AD founded the D&AD Awards in 1963. Considered the most selective design and advertising awards in the world, the competition is symbolized by the “yellow pencil.” However, the top honor of the “black pencil” goes only to creators who surprise, provoke debate, and usher in new eras of design. The Advertising Museum Tokyo has been showcasing works receiving the D&AD Awards since 2007. It now offers a retrospective of the awards’ 50-year history, presenting all the black pencil winners and a selection of works chosen by D&AD’s 50 presidents, along with winners of the 2013 awards.

178. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Other

Item: The Beautiful Black List – Tracing the 50 Years of D&AD Awards

179. Source: TAB Events - in category 2D: Other

Item: Multi(Multi)(ple(s))

Multi(Multi)(ple(s))
at The Container (Ebisu, Daikanyama area)
(2013-12-02 - 2014-02-17)

180. Source: International Art Competitions provided by Artshow.com

Item: Call for Photography Entries: Black and White - New York, NY

$3,000 in cash awards. Deadline: December 15, 2013

181. Source: International Art Competitions provided by Artshow.com

Item: American Plains Artists 29th Annual Juried Exhibit - Kerrville, Texas

$20,000 in awards. Deadline: December 28, 2013

182. Source: International Art Competitions provided by Artshow.com

Item: 9th International Drawing Annual - Art Publication

$1,000 in cash prizes. Deadline: December 31, 2013

183. Source: International Art Competitions provided by Artshow.com

Item: Embracing Our Differences - Sarasota, Florida

$3,000 in awards. Deadline: January 6, 2014

184. Source: International Art Competitions provided by Artshow.com

Item: Scope Art Show - New York, NY

$20,000 in awards. Deadline: January 10, 2014

185. Source: International Art Competitions provided by Artshow.com

Item: 2013/2014 International ARC Salon - Online competition

$61,450 in cash and purchase awards. Deadline: January 15, 2014

186. Source: International Art Competitions provided by Artshow.com

Item: Louisiana Watercolor Society 44th International Exhibit - New Orleans, Louisiana

$8,000 in awards. Deadline: January 21, 2014

187. Source: International Art Competitions provided by Artshow.com

Item: Neoteric Abstract - Hudson, New York

$2600 in publication awards. Deadline: January 31, 2014

188. Source: International Art Competitions provided by Artshow.com

Item: OPA 23rd National Exhibition - Bennington, Vermont

Over $75,000 in awards. Deadline: February 7, 2014

189. Source: AGO Art Matters

Item: Q&A: AGO artist-in-residence Sara Angelucci
Date: 2 December 2013, 10:54 am

Sara Angelucci, Aviary (Male Passenger Pigeon/extinct), 2013. C-print, 26 x 38 inches. © Sara Angelucci. Courtesy of the artist. 

a performance in February entitled A Mourning Chorus and featuring a cappella singing that will explore the sounds of disappearing North American song-birds through the historic framework of women’s public mourning rituals;
the installation of two works from Angelucci’s Aviary from November to February 2014 in our Canadian galleries;
a Meet the Artist talk in January, when she will talk to artists Spring Hurlbut and Marla Hlady about their work; and
a panel discussion, also in January, entitled “Art & Ideas: A bird’s eye view on art & extinction,” to be followed by a three-course meal served in FRANK restaurant, specially prepared by executive chef Jeff Dueck in consultation with Angelucci.

(More details on these activities here.)

Sara Angelucci, Aviary (Female Passenger Pigeon/extinct), 2013. C-print, 26 x 38 inches. © Sara Angelucci. Courtesy of the artist.

Visit Angelucci’s website to learn more about her and her body of work.

190. Source: AGO Art Matters

Item: Two more days of Bowie for AGO visitors
Date: 25 November 2013, 11:41 am

David Bowie is opening night. Photo by Dean Tomlinson/Art Gallery of Ontario.

TODAY: Monday, Nov. 25 – special opening from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 26 – 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 27 – 10 a.m. to midnight
Thursday, Nov. 28 – 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and
Friday, Nov. 29 – 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Tickets are now on sale and can be booked in person, by phone at 416-979-6655 and online by visiting ago.net/david-bowie-is.

191. Source: AGO Art Matters

Item: Conservation Notes: Tea with Diane Borsato
Date: 18 November 2013, 11:00 am

By Sherry Phillips, Conservator of Contemporary and Inuit Art

One of the six bone porcelain tea cups, English, dated approx. 1822-30.

Tea Service (Conservators will wash the dishes)
Early 19th-century tea cups were temporarily removed from the AGO’s collection in order to be used for tea tastings by museum staff. Together, a group of conservators, a registrar, an interpretive planner, a curator, an artist and an art critic drank out of the re-animated cups, experiencing them through all of their senses and through shared conversation.
Three types of tea were served: Bai Hao Yin Zhen white tea (China), Tung Ting oolong (Taiwan) and a dark, 2001 Lahu Wild Trees 1,000-year-old Pu-erh (China). Before and after the action, a museum conservator washed the dishes. The action was documented by photography.
—Diane Borsato

One of several meetings to determine if and how the cups would be used for the artwork.

The discussion leading up to the proposed tea was more complex and richer than anything we anticipated.

Conservators Sherry Phillips and Maria Sullivan examine the glazing under the microscope.

Conservator Sherry Phillips “washing the dishes.”

Jennifer Fisher and Maria Sullivan smelling the pu-erh tea leaves.

Diane Borsato (left) and the group.

Curious about Conservation?
If you have a burning question about Conservation, leave a comment below. We’ll do our best to give you an answer in an upcoming Conservation Notes post.

Signature Partner of the AGO’s Conservation Program

192. Source: AGO Art Matters

Item: Love photography? Join us for AGO First Thursdays on November 7
Date: 29 October 2013, 9:26 am

193. Source: AGO Art Matters

Item: What’s On: Art Toronto 2013′s Opening Night Preview & AGO curator talk
Date: 22 October 2013, 9:39 am

Tom Sokoloski, All the Artists Are Here (rendering), 2013.

Relating to Geography #2 (Toronto Art Fair) by Victoria Stanton and Johannes Zits, a video-projection performance presented in a series 15-minute “chapters” over a period of two hours. The piece — consisting of images projected upon various moving screens — draws from the pair’s performance this summer on Toronto Island entitled Embodying Nature: Relating to Geography (Island Version #1) and speaks to notions of connectedness, attentive presence, personal and collective memory and sense of place;
All the Artists Are Here by Thom Sokoloski, a suspended wall installation of black and white photo portraits of the artists that the public will see upon entering the fair. Passing through the installation, visitors can scan QR codes with their smartphones to learn more about the artists, their work, which gallery represents them and their booths’ locations at the fair; and
Disorganizers by Kurt Bigenho — presented by p|m Gallery — a Disorganized Fashion Collection worn by models wandering the fair. Pieces in the collection include a dress that can be inflated in seconds to provide more personal space, a series of masks that can be worn to “jam” facial recognition software, clothing that falls apart and a shirt that can be worn by multiple people at once, among others.

TALK

Date: Sunday, October 27th, 2013
Time: 12:00pm-1:00pm
Art Gallery of Ontario Art Toronto booth (#1408)
Metro Toronto Convention Centre

194. Source: AGO Art Matters

Item: In Photos: David Bowie’s late-’70s Pop stop in Toronto
Date: 21 October 2013, 2:29 pm

See more shots and Carlucci’s memories of the concert below.

Click to expand

“This is a rare moment in rock-and-roll history, where Mr. Bowie can be seen as a supporting or background musician, in a relatively small venue, compared to his own larger extravaganzas.

All photos were taken on a Pentax SP1000 35 mm camera.
Film: Kodak Tri-X

195. Source: ArtRightNow News

Item: Emerging artists wanting to participate in the Splendid festival read on...(May 2011)
Date: 20 March 2011, 2:03 pm

Calling creatives of all stripes who have an inquisitive mind, an innovative approach and a desire to collaborate to participate in the 2011 Splendid program.

196. Source: ArtRightNow News

Item: Winners for the 2010 Gold Coast Indigenous Art and Design Award
Date: 19 November 2010, 11:47 am

Anthony Walker is the winner of the 2010 prize.

197. Source: National Museum of African Art

Item: El Anatsui discusses his piece called "Blue Moon."
Date: 18 March 2008, 11:11 am

El Anatsui Recorded 2008 at the National Museum of African Art Washington, DC Interviewed by Jessica Martinez

Enclosure (mp3)

198. Source: BLOUIN ARTINFO

Item: And the Award for Best Monologue Goes to…
Date: 9 December 2013, 5:10 pm

award-for-best-monologue-goes-to">And the Award for Best Monologue Goes to…

One’s heart goes out to the air traveler (Joy Carlin) in “Blue Jasmine,” the journalist Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) in “Philomena,” and Barbara Weston (Julia Roberts) in “August: Osage County” when they are forced to endure a garrulous companion holding forth.

The speakers are Jasmine Francis (Cate Blanchett), Philomena Lee (Judi Dench), and Karen (Juliette Lewis), the second born of the three Weston daughters, respectively. The experiences are tedious for the on-screen listeners but, thanks to the writing and acting in each sequence, illuminating for the audience. You can tell a lot about someone by the nonsense they speak.

Blanchett and Dench are shoo-ins for Best Actress Oscar nominations; the former’s position as the clear favorite could be challenged when “August: Osage County,” adapted by Tracy Letts from his Pulitzer-winning play, opens Christmas Day and Meryl Streep’s brutal, needy Weston matriarch hits the nation’s screens. Roberts, Margo Martindale (as the Streep character’s sister), Julianne Nicholson (as the youngest daughter, Ivy), and Lewis could all be in the frame for Best Supporting Actress.

Lewis won’t be hurt by her effusively delivered monologue, which, given the circumstances, is a classic of self-involvement and insensitivity. The Weston girls’ alcoholic father (Sam Shepard) has drowned himself and Karen has returned to her family home in rural Oklahoma, in the company of her feckless beau (Dermot Mulroney), for the funeral.

The old man has barely been laid to rest when the camera picks up Barbara driving back to the house with Karen, who’s unstoppably narrating her romantic history, which incorporates the abuse and cheating of a louse called Andrew and the comparative charms of Mulroney's Steve. Delivering Letts’s soliloquy, Lewis radiates the inextinguishable buoyancy of a woman who believes each new lover is “the one,” but who is so chronically self-deluding she is destined never to make the right choice. (She reminds me of the stripper played by Frances Fisher in Susan Streitfield’s underrated 1996 indie “Female Perversions.”)

Oblivious of Barbara’s glares and a barbed remark she makes about their father’s suicide, Karen is still babbling when she and Barbara are indoors. “I live for today,” she lies out loud to her sister and herself. “You take it as it comes — here and now.” As played by Lewis, she is ultimately an object of pity.

It’s harder to muster that emotion for Jasmine. Woody Allen’s opening shot shows the plane carrying the fallen Fifth Avenue socialite to down-market San Francisco. That Jasmine’s head is permanently in the clouds is indicated by the one-way conversation she’s having with fellow passenger Carlin, who’s too polite to say, “I’m a little tired, dear…”

A blinkered and unreconstructed victim of self-entitlement, marital dependence, and hubris, Jasmine regales the nodding and smiling old lady with her roseate early memories of being romanced and seduced by the now-dead conman (Alec Baldwin) she married. Like Karen, she is barely conscious that a cataclysmic suicide has occurred.

Jasmine’s monologue, like Karen’s, is quite short, but Allen has Blanchett continue it as he cuts from the plane to the escalator at the airport to the baggage carousel, where her companion finally escapes. The comic sequence is dramatically implausible, but it does establish Jasmine’s glassy distance from reality and her neurotic habit of perseverating on her past life in an ivory tower made of sand. Although Allen bridges Jasmine’s actual descent into San Francisco at the start, it becomes clear at the end of the film that it was the start of her final descent into madness.

A London airport is the setting for Philomena’s long speech. An ageing Irishwoman whose 3-year-old son was sold by nuns to an American couple in 1955, she is traveling with the Sixsmith to the US five decades later to try to locate him. Seated on the trolley that carries the humble old woman and the worldly reporter to the departure gate, she tells him the convoluted plot of the romantic novel she’s carrying. When I wrote about the scene before, I underestimated its tenderness.

Though bored out of his skull by Philomena’s rambling account of the book, Sixsmith feigns interest in it to help put her at ease. He knows she not only faces the ordeal of the flight but the likelihood that the momentous journey will be in vain, and that she is describing a silly story that comforts her to silence the fear and doubt inside her.

Trepidation peeking through her enthusiastic peroration, Dench conveys all this in her soft voice as the viewer’s eyes drift to Coogan, at his best here as a man taking care to monitor his reactions lest they needlessly hurt someone who’s been hurt too much. Of the three monologues, Philomena’s is the one that tells us most about its recipient.

Meryl Streep and Juliette Lewis in "August Osage County"

Published: December 9, 2013

199. Source: BLOUIN ARTINFO

Item: Amar Kanwar on the Disappearing Landscapes of "The Sovereign Forest"
Date: 9 December 2013, 4:26 pm

An artist and independent filmmaker best known for his poignant documentaries, which probe the political, social, and ecological dimensions of the Indian subcontinent, Amar Kanwar still lives in New Delhi, where  he was born in 1964. His most recent and ongoing project, The Sovereign Forest—part multimedia installation, part exhibition—explores the devastating impact of corporate mining on the ecosystem of Orissa,  a region in eastern India. The Sovereign Forest functions as an archive of  a world and a way of life that threaten to disappear irrevocably. This beautiful and ominous inventory is on view at the Yorkshire Sculpture  Park in West Bretton, U.K., until February 2014. The project is intended to resonate with the coal-mining history of the region: Defunct mining  towns surround the estate, which is situated on a disused coalfield.

Emily Terracciano spoke with the artist for the December 2013 issue of Modern Painters.

We witness contemporary practitioners engaging more and more with the idea of the postcolonial archive to question the institutional and political dimensions of their own work, particularly as the latter takes shape, along with speculation in the art market and the changing role of memorialization in the public sphere. How do you see yourself as engaging with the legacy of the archive?

I don’t see myself engaged with a contemporary art legacy of archiving within a “postcolonial” preoccupation. The reference is not needed. If we want to use the term and the framework it implies, then it is possible—perhaps necessary—for  me to say that as a filmmaker, I have been archiving since the day I started. I would go out with an objective, I would return with hundreds of images. And, intrinsically, a series of hierarchies, too. Every film I make is an archive. One that you see and one that you don’t that remains with me. At least for a while.

Has your approach to archiving changed over the years?

Over time I learned that I had also brought back hundreds of sounds as well. Even later they became collections of light, colors, and movement. Eventually and obviously, they were containers containing spectrums of representations of random multiple times. And so on. And therefore the question of relationships. Actually, the temporary relationship between each of your questions is the answer to all your questions. My approach has shifted from a definitive “collection” to a temporary matrix of forms, senses, and time.

So in a sense, you challenge the idea of the archive as authoritative institution and lean more toward vernacular memory?

Regardless of which tradition you actually refer to, most archives have or eventually develop an intrinsic relationship with power. The kings, the patriarchs, the state—all eventually foreground, subsume, subjugate, and reassert authority. The real question perhaps is the continuous destruction of the archive. And to learn from the archives that exist, where many worlds, planes of existence, are experienced so as to dramatically alter one’s perceptions of reality and space.

The idea of alteration seems crucial in your practice. Do you see yourself as applying pressure on the idea of documentary, perhaps to educate viewers?

The document of the documentary has for long already been thrown up into the air. Is an illusion more real than a fact? Which vocabulary is more appropriate for a dream? How can a pamphlet be a poem, how can a poem be the story of a murder, how can a murder become a ballad, how can a ballad become an argument, how can an argument become a vulnerability, the expression of which itself negates the argument but eventually shifts all positions? I am more concerned with doubt and disturbances.

Like Ko Than Htay, the Burmese bookseller protagonist of your video installation The Torn First Pages, 2004–08. Htay tore out the first pages of all books and journals he sold that contained ideological slogans of the Burmese military dictatorship. Does your experience of creating films allow you to tear out pages, to defy authority and share this experience?

Htay’s defiance was different. He did tear out these first pages. Before he sold the books to customers and retailers, he tore out the first page of every single book as his own act of resistance against the dictatorship, so that people who bought books from his shop did not have to see the slogans of the military regime when they read the books. What Htay did was very simple, but it was an act of great courage. It was unique, personal, but totally anonymous. The consequences could be grave: He and his family faced direct and immediate danger from a vicious army. Eventually, he was arrested in December 1994 for tearing and possessing the torn first pages. He was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and torture in the infamous Mandalay prison. I feel every page torn by Htay links him forever with the author of every book sold, with the spirit of every artist striving to work in freedom without restrictions or censorship. So in that sense, there is a responsibility—to respond.

If you look at the Burmese democratic movement, the resistance spanning several decades, you will see an enormous collection of organized and random evidence, put together formally as well as personally by friends, families, and activists. And in many forms: images, documents, objects, words, and just about anything possible. Not only as an act of remembrance but also as a conscious collection and preservation of evidence  of abuse and violence. Collected in the context of what seemed to be an unshakable, all-powerful, brutal totalitarian regime destined to stay forever. And yet why do you collect evidence? Every  trace collected was an act of hope. This was an archive of hope.

For me this archive of hope, this preservation of each trace, this tearing out of the pages, is an inspiration and a way forward. The Torn First Pages—made out of 19 projections on floating sheets of paper—allowed me to present this evidence in the  form that it actually exists and, more so, to push it further, into an archiving of time. The films in Part 1 of the installation are distinct, autonomous, and interconnected but clearly present five different times with their own obvious trajectories and patterns of movement. Part 2 opens up a single zone within which multiple times flow, in which the said and the unsaid are projected together and within which time also shoots off unexpectedly on a tangent. Part 3 presents the process of archiving and displaying the past. All three parts together create an experience of archiving the multiplicity of time and of a temporary passing through it. This temporary passing, for me, is my defiance, my releasing into the air, of an archive of disturbances.

Does disturbance trickle through your recent project, The Sovereign Forest? What led you to make this work?

Severe violence in multiple visible and invisible forms, a deep sense of loss, an exhaustion with a world of super-articulations and a need to understand and to live. And a set of questions:  How to understand the conflict around us? How to understand crime? Who defines evidence? Is legally valid evidence adequate to understand the meaning and extent of a crime? Can poetry be presented as evidence in a criminal or political trial? What is the validity of such evidence? What is the vocabulary of a language that can talk about a series of simultaneous disappearances occurring across multiple dimensions of our lives? How to see, know, understand, and remember these disappearances? How to look again?

Can you say a little more about the project?

The Sovereign Forest attempts to reopen discussion and initiate a creative response to our understanding of crime, politics, human rights, and ecology. The validity of poetry  as evidence in a trial; the discourse on seeing, on understanding, on compassion, on issues of justice; sovereignty and the determination of the self—all come together in a constellation of moving and still images, texts, books, pamphlets, albums, music, objects, seeds, events, and processes. The Sovereign Forest has overlapping identities. It continuously reincarnates as an art installation, an exhibition, a library, a memorial, a public trial, an open call for the collection of more “evidence,” an archive, and also a proposition for a space that engages with political issues as well as with art. The central film, The Scene of Crime, offers an experience of landscape just prior to erasure. Almost every image in this film lies within specific territories that are proposed industrial sites and are in the process of being acquired by the government and corporations in Orissa, India. Every location, every blade of grass, every water source, every tree that is seen in the film is now meant not to exist anymore. The Scene of Crime is an experience of “looking” at the terrain of this conflict and the personal lives that exist within this natural landscape. The constellation accompanying the film is the ever-changing, continuously growing inadequate archive of so-called invalid evidence.

In the West, the historia derives from the root –id, which means to see. Hístor is in origin the eyewitness, the one who  has seen. Yet memory is inconstant, not a fixed manifestation of the past. Every time memory is articulated, it changes. Can we change memories and the feelings we associate with them?

I do not know, but I do feel that what we have to relate to and embrace is the inadequacy of the archive. The presence activates the absence. The collection activates the unknown. It is not  the archive that we cling to but the uncertainty in the core of the archive. What is true is false and what is false is true so easily  in this territory; testimonies and memories are fluid, constantly changing, and so it is this temporary fragility that is mobile, potent, and revealing.

You’ve observed that “the act of remembering is an act of moving forward in time.” But can we witness and remember anew?

If the attempt to remember is presented along with what is remembered, if what seems definitive is presented along with what is uncertain, if the part and the whole are both simultaneously visible—then perhaps it may, possibly, I think, create a sense of comprehension that seems new.

This article is published in the December 2013 issue of Modern Painters.

To see images, click on the slideshow.

Amar Kanwar on the Disappearing Landscapes of "The Sovereign Forest"

Photo Gallery:

Slideshow: Amar Kanwar's Poignant Film Stills

Published: December 9, 2013

200. Source: BLOUIN ARTINFO

Item: A New Brand of Luxury Sponsorship Piques “Curiosity”
Date: 9 December 2013, 2:32 pm

A New Brand of Luxury Sponsorship Piques “Curiosity”

MIAMI — “Curiosity,” an installation piece by French artist duo Kolkoz for Art Basel in Miami Beach, is a refreshing and even playful take on luxury brands’ sponsorship of public art.

The aptly-named inflatable, snow-covered chalet floating in front of the disused modernist Miami Marine Stadium off Biscayne Bay, certainly piques interest.

Yet, you couldn’t tell just by looking at the sculpture that it is presented by Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Audemars Piguet, which has been an associate Art Basel sponsor since December 2012.

“You don’t see a single mention of our name here,” François-Henry Bennahmias, CEO of Audemars Piguet, told BLOUIN ARTINFO. “We wanted to respect the work of the artist.”

While the haute horlogerie brand’s presence can be felt in a booth at Art Basel’s Collector’s Lounge, featuring a retrospective of their Royal Oak model and an exhibition of works by British photographer Dan Holdsworth, Bennahmias emphasized that the brand had no involvement in steering the direction of “Curiosity,” which was jointly supported by Galerie Perrotin, the Paris-based gallery that represents Kolkoz alongside Maurizio Cattelan and Takashi Murakami. “They were already working on it [when] we heard about it. We came together, and finalized the deal,” he said. “So they kept their true spirit of freedom.”

More importantly, this art tourism destination charts new waters in terms of the public art projects typically commissioned by luxury brands during Art Basel. While deemed a satellite Art Basel project because it lacked a curator, “Curiosity” deviates from the norm at a time when weariness for heavily branded works and limited edition artist-designed product lines is creeping in.

The installation is also expected to help draw attention to the $30 million campaign currently underway to renovate the Miami Marine Stadium, and the desire to bring in more blue-chip investment to the campaign. (So far, $13 million has been raised, and in October, American Express committed $80,000 to the cause.)

The stadium was in the 1960s a gleaming, open-air facility that hosted power boat races, operas, and even rock concerts. But after the devastation of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the stadium was abandoned, and now its 6,566 seats are street art canvases for colorful graffiti tags. It ended up being “the perfect bad place for this chalet,” said Benjamin Moreau, one half of Kolkoz.

“This rooftop is one of the biggest cantilevered structures in the United States,” said Samuel Boutruche, the duo’s other half. “Can you believe they wanted to destroy this thing?”

Alluding to Audemars Piguet’s wintery home in the Vallée du Joux, the chalet floated on the water, resembling an iceberg curiously not melting in the December heat. “It was cool to be out of the mess of the fair,” quipped Moreau.

The artists just outside "Curiosity".

Last year, the artist duo Kolkoz unveiled its first environmental paradox at Art Basel by resurfacing South Beach into a lunar-scape soccer field called “Luna Park”. The re-creation of an Apollo 11 lunar landing site on a Miami Beach football pitch was deemed by some critics to be the standout Art Basel spectacle.

Long preoccupied with encounters between the real and the virtual, Kolkoz this time settled on the seemingly out-of-place counterpoint between a picturesque chalet — replete with faux-wood surface and a fireplace burning with red, Dan Flavin-like neon tubes — and the Miami tropics as a means of exploring the past and present of “cosmopolitan architecture”. As Marc-Olivier Wahler, founder and director of the Chalet Society in Paris, writes in an essay on the work shared in press notes: “Given its nomadic and world characteristics, it is not a stretch to say the chalet is associated with the idea of conquering new territory,” citing its mid-nineteenth century invention as demonstrative of “the architectural expression of bourgeois individualism.”

When exploring partnerships in the art world, Bennehmias seems less interested in borrowing cachet to further Audemar’s products, which are already revered as some of the finest Swiss watchmaking specimens in history. Yayoi Kusama x Louis Vuitton-type collaborations are not on the cards for the house at the moment, according to the exec.

“What for? When a painter comes into our world and sees our top watchmakers pull these watches together, they are amazed … it’s a completely different mindset,” he said. “What would [a collaboration amount to other than be] a fake thing? There’s no need.”

For a city that in recent years has owned many of its new condominium towers and hotels to luxury brands’ sponsorship of Art Basel, it’s refreshing for the focus to shift towards historical preservation.

As Miami mayor Tomás Regalado said at a media briefing at Audemars’ booth in Art Basel’s Collector’s Lounge: “Who would have thought that a Swiss chalet would be floating here in the bay of Miami? Tonight we can celebrate an important moment for art and history.”

"Curiosity" Chalet Opposite Miami Marine Stadium

Published: December 9, 2013

201. Source: BLOUIN ARTINFO

Item: Q&A With Frank Rich: On the Puzzle That Is Sondheim
Date: 9 December 2013, 2:28 pm

Q&A With Frank Rich: On the Puzzle That Is Sondheim

“I like neurotic people. I’m neurotic myself,” says Stephen Sondheim at the beginning of “Six by Sondheim,” the new documentary that premieres on HBO on December 9.

Neurotic, yes, and a drinker, a musical genius, a humanist, and, perhaps more than anything else, a teacher. “Six by Sondheim” is a master class with a syllabus covering over a half century in the life and career of Broadway’s leading composer and revolutionary. The narrative — built around six iconic songs with interstitial commentary from their creator taken from archival footage — is anything but academic. Because it deals with the man himself, it is laced with biographical details that are trenchant, revealing, and often profanely funny. Because it deals with his work, the documentary is filled with astringent observations of our flawed humanity and a yearning for art and love that is profoundly moving.

The creators, director James Lapine and executive producer Frank Rich, know their subject well. Lapine collaborated with Sondheim on such musicals as “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Passion,” and “Into the Woods”; Rich, as the former drama critic of the New York Times, championed — as well as looked askance at — several of Sondheim’s shows before becoming a friend. The two have toured the country with Rich interviewing Sondheim in front of houses packed with fervent fans.

Five years ago, when Rich joined HBO-TV as a creative consultant, a Sondheim documentary was among the first projects he pitched. The network was agreeable and so was the subject, but with reservations.

“Steve had always resisted a documentary about him not out of any sense of keeping people out — in fact, he’s quite open to the press — but because they tend to be clichéd,” said Rich. “He wanted something different but he didn’t know what. He knew he didn’t want the standard ‘and then I wrote’ chronology.”

Hence the choice of the six songs as tent-poles: “Something’s Coming” (“West Side Story”), “Being Alive” (“Company”), “I’m Still Here” (“Follies”), “Opening Doors” (“Merrily We Roll Along”), “Send in the Clowns” (“A Little Night Music”), and “Sunday” (“Sunday in the Park with George”). And, more provocatively, original production numbers created by Lapine, Autumn de Wilde, and Todd Haynes and featuring Audra McDonald, Darren Criss, Jeremy Jordan, Laura Osnes, America Ferrera, Jackie Hoffman, and Will Swenson.

ARTINFO recently spoke with Rich about how he, Lapine, and a talented team pieced together this puzzle of man whose extraordinary output was born out of what he himself describes as “agonizing fun,” love, and passion.

How did you arrive at the six songs?

By a process of elimination we came to things that we thought were interesting about Steve which might work for others, and we followed our instincts as best we could. We very quickly arrived on the six songs we wanted with the only criteria being that we wanted them to be representative of his work. These are not our favorite songs or necessarily his best songs but those songs that might represent him to a wider world.

What were the decisions behind the original production numbers for three of the six songs? Wasn’t Martin Scorsese supposed to do one?

Marty wanted to do one, “Opening Doors,” but he was overwhelmed with other projects and James had an idea to do it. It was logistically very complicated with multiple locations and characters. But he cast it very well with Darren Criss, Jeremy Jordan, Laura Osnes, and we’d heard through the grapevine that America Ferrera could sing. She could and it worked out well.

How’d you get Sondheim to make a cameo as the producer to which the characters pitch their projects?

At first he said, “I can’t really do it, I can’t really do it,” and then after a few takes he was completely at home performing.

Is Sondheim a closet ham?

I don’t think so. But he was such a natural and so hilarious. It’s hysterical to see him play the kind of producer who, when he started out as a young composer, always complained that his tunes weren’t “hummable.” He’d never expressed to me any particular interest in being a performer at all. So this was an unexpected dividend.

The boldest of the production numbers is “I’m Still Here,” directed by Todd Haynes and sung, some might say eccentrically, by Jarvis Cocker, lead singer of the British band Pulp. How did that happen?

Steve’s a film buff and a big fan of Todd’s work and so I pursued him and we gave him carte blanche. What we wanted was somebody who could look at the song fresh. I know there are people who don’t like it. I find it incredibly moving and I think it achieves what was our purpose, which was to listen again to a song you’ve heard so many times.

In the video, women of varying ages are in a nightclub reacting ambiguously to this song. What’s the resonance of that for you?

This guy is a pop singer in the later stages of his career and his band has had a sort of resurgence, so in many ways he’s talking about himself. But he’s also talking to these women who could be the character in the song. The younger woman sort of recognizes what could happen to her in the future. And some of them are taking stock and some of them are defensive and possibly hurt. When I hear it, I think of that cracked Follies girl in the poster of “Follies” and I feel that is the sort of mood that emerges.

Sondheim seems pretty open. It’s not every day that an artist admits that booze helps through the writer’s block.

That clip was from James’s “Sondheim on Sondheim” and he had the right to repurpose some of the material. One of my favorite lines in this — and it took me a while to understand what he was saying — is when Steve says that the score to “Stavisky” is the only thing he ever wrote “on water.” And what he meant by that was that he was “not on alcohol” because he didn’t have to write lyrics.

In the documentary, Sondheim doesn’t mask his hurt feelings about the rejection of critics and the public.

Of course he was distraught about his general treatment. But he’s since risen above it. It’s fascinating to see how sour he was several decades ago and how much more mellow he is now. Not the least of which because history and time have proven that a lot of the criticism was wrong. Time called “Company” a musical that was “academic”? My reviews of Steve’s work were all over the map but no matter the enthusiasm or lack of enthusiasm, I never disliked the scores of his shows. The tragedy of “Merrily” is that there were great songs in a production that was a mess.

Sondheim mentions how touched he was by the subjects in the Georges Seurat painting which inspired his “Sunday in the Park with George.” They were unaware that they were being immortalized. How aware is Sondheim of his legacy?

I’ve never had that discussion with him. But speaking for myself, I would take a show like “Merrily We Roll Along,” which ran less than two weeks on Broadway. It’s in constant production around the world, including this country, and this month it won the [London] Evening Standard Award for Best Musical over “The Book of Mormon.” And we’re talking about one of Steve’s flops. I do believe that the record shows that Sondheim’s work is growing in its power, popularity, and ubiquity from year to year. I really feel that Sondheim’s work will be immortal as long as people are listening to anything that resembles musical theater and maybe even past that.

Published: December 9, 2013

202. Source: SeattleArtists.com Blog

Item: Seattle Artist Ulrich Pakker Receives UNESCO Art Award
Date: 8 October 2013, 3:39 pm

We’d like to congratulate Ulrich Pakker for being selected to receive the UNESCO art award for "Inspiring Peace and Humanity Through Art and Science". Ulrich is also a premier gallery member of SeattleArtists.com.

"I am honored to be receiving this UNESCO art award from Dr. Sheree Wen, U.S. National Commissioner for UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). It has been a great year and this is certainly the crowning glory." says Ulrich Pakker.

If you’d like any more information on the UNESCO award or on what Ulrich has been working on lately, please visit http://www.RPArt.com.

The post Seattle Artist Ulrich Pakker Receives UNESCO Art Award appeared first on SeattleArtists.com Blog.

203. Source: SeattleArtists.com Blog

Item: City of Seattle "Art Interruptions", Temporary installations in Beacon Hill & Central Waterfront
Date: 13 August 2013, 3:08 pm

Find ‘Art Interruptions’ in Beacon Hill and the Central Waterfront

Artworks on street and park infrastructure, furniture and trees bring surprise and humor, On view through Sept. 20

Temporary artworks eliciting moments of surprise, beauty and humor are dotted through Beacon Hill and the Central Waterfront via the Art Interruptions series produced by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. The artworks, intended to last for approximately six weeks, appear on city sidewalks and in parks offering a brief interruption in viewers’ days. Twelve artists have created temporary installations, most of which are on view through Sept. 20, though dates vary depending on the type of artwork. Projects range from a light-hearted photo cutout to traditional rangoli and flower mandalas made by local Indian artists in the Beacon Hill neighborhood and faux discarded banana peels to patterned handrails on the Waterfront.
The Art Interruptions program was launched in 2012 with a dozen projects spread between Greenwood Avenue North, and the Central Waterfront. The 2013 series complements a number of temporary projects produced by the City’s art department this summer including a visual art installation and interactive camera obscura project at Westlake Park and the ‘Alaskan Way Viaduct Observation and Demolition Unit‘ by Dane Youngren, which closes this weekend.

Administered in partnership with Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and Seattle Parks and Recreation, Art Interruptions is funded with SDOT 1% for Art funds and administered by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.

Beacon Hill Projects Beginning at Daejeon Park, heading south on 18th Avenue South, and ending at 12th Avenue South and Lucille Street.

Elizabeth Gahan

Elizabeth Gahan’s site-specific installation Climbing Crystals uses recycled corrugated plastic political signs to create an unexpected synthetic growth interrupting the serene Maplewood Park and surrounding residential neighborhood. Signs from the 2012 election season are re-envisioned and reconstructed into a cluster of hollow 3D, crystal-like forms that appear to emerge from the ground and climb the tree trunk.

Brian Gerich and Ian Horton

Brian Gerich and Ian Horton’s Blind Drift both contrasts and mimics environmental elements in the hillside at 18^th Avenue South and South Walker Street, and creates a gradient effect across the pedestrian path of the site. The artists worked closely with Steven Chavez as a consultant on the project.

Julia Haack

Julia Haack’s Arboreal Amulets is a grouping of sculptural constructions attached to a tree cluster at Daejeon Park, adjacent to the bike path and Sturgus Way South and just northwest of the Korean pavilion. The artwork is made from reclaimed lumber and latex paint and employs geometric, colorful patterns with cascading shapes.

Joanne Lepore and Breanne Gearheart

Joanne Lepore and Breanne Gearheart’s Portals uses stripped bicycle rims as way-finding and point-of-interest markers along the Beacon Hill Greenway. The rims are attached to trees, existing signage and in sculptural formations in right-of-way areas. These place markers not only indicate to cyclists that they are on the right path, but draw attention to the peculiarities of the environs. The artists chose the sites that were shifts in the bike path, opportunities to explore the Greenway and the Beacon Hill environs, or to demonstrate creative uses of rights-of-way and public land with a gardening/sustainability focus. A map with details, context, and links can be found online at http://tenaciousinstinct.com/projects/art-interruptions/.

Tour: The artists will also lead a bike tour of the Greenway route and all Art Interruptions artwork installations on the path, 4 to 6 p.m., Aug. 18. Bicyclists should meet at the I-90 bike trail to start the tour, which will end in Georgetown. Bring helmets and water.

Chris Papa

Take advantage of a light-hearted photo opportunity with Chris Papa’s Free Pile, a life-size, carnival photo cut-out. Equal parts painting and sculpture, the wood assembly draws attention to the “junk” we put out on our sidewalk that other people then proudly claim as their own. The photo cut-out is at the corner of Beacon Avenue South and Hanford Street, just outside Hello Bicycle.

Photos: Share photos of the cut-out on the Office of Arts & Culture’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SeattleArts. Use hashtag #ArtInterruptions and #ChrisPapa.

Annie Penta

Annie Penta’s Visual Blessings: Women’s Art of India employs several local Indian rangoli artists to create South Indian Tamil Nadu chalk designs in various right-of-way locations twice weekly during early morning hours. Artists will also create intermittent athapoovidal (elaborate ground decorations) mandalas made from local flowers, plants and organic materials.

Rangoli chalk installation schedule:

Thursday, Aug. 8: southwest corner of 18^th Avenue South and South State Street.
Sunday, Aug. 11: 18^th Avenue South and South Plum Street.
Thursday, Aug. 15: Four corners of intersection at 18^th Avenue South and South Hill Street.
Sunday, Aug. 18: Four corners of intersection at 18^th Avenue South and South College Street, intersection of 18^th Avenue South and South Bayview Street.
Thursday, Aug. 22: Southwest corner of 18^th Avenue South and South Waite Street.
Sunday, Aug. 25: NE corner of 18^th Avenue South and South McClellan Street and if time allows, at the intersection of 18^th Avenue South and South Lander Street.
Thursday, Aug. 29: In collaboration with artist Raji Raman, at the intersection of Beacon Avenue South and South Hanford Street.
Sunday, Sept. 1: In collaboration with artist Raji Raman, at the intersection of 18^th Avenue South and South Stevens Street.
Thursday, Sept. 5: At the intersection of South Hinds Street and Lafayette Avenue South. If time allows, at South Horton and Lafayette Avenue South.
Sunday, Sept. 8: On north and south side of Spokane Street at Lafayette Avenue South.
Thursday, Sept. 12: In collaboration with artist Rita Biswas, at the intersection of South Hanford Street and Lafayette Avenue South.
Sunday, Sept. 18: In collaboration with artist Rita Biswas at the intersection of 16^th Avenue South and South Dakota Street.

Flower mandala installation

Saturday, Aug. 10: On the north-facing hill of Jefferson Park at Lafayette Avenue South and Spokane Street.
Saturday, Aug. 24: In collaboration with artist Anantha Ahluwalia, on the southeast hill of Jefferson Park at 16^th Avenue South and South Spokane Street. If it is windy, artists will relocate to intersection of Lafayette Avenue South and Spokane Street.
Saturday, Sept. 7: In collaboration with artist Anita Bhatt, on the north side of Jefferson Park at 17^th Avenue South and Lafayette Avenue South. If it is windy, artists will relocate to at Lafayette Avenue South and Spokane Street.

Hollis Wong-Wear

Hollis Wong-Wear’s Neighborhood Boombox features recordings by Beacon Hill musicians, poets and performing artists of various disciplines that have been curated by Wong-Wear. Inspired visually by the boombox carried by Radio Raheem in the film Do the Right Thing, the presentation and placement of this installation will occur at several locations where local businesses will act as stewards of the mobile installation. The boombox will be outside during normal business hours for the hosting establishments. The first site for the boombox will be at The Station Café through Aug. 18. It will move to El Quetzal on Aug. 19. Recordings will be on cassette tapes as a playful throwback to a virtually obsolete technology. The music will be archived as several volumes in .mp3 format and can be accessed online after the project is complete. Follow the Office of Arts & Culture on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SeattleArts to learn more about the boombox whereabouts.

Central Waterfront Projects (On Alaskan Way between Piers 62/63 and Marion Street Ferry Terminal walkway, including the Pike Street Hill Climb)>

Christian French

Christian French’s Sightings is a series of photographs chronicling the travels of an old weather-beaten hubcap that looks like a UFO (or is it a UFO that looks like a hubcap?). Presented at the spot where each photograph was taken (Waterfront Park and Pier 62/63), the photographs echo scenic views or commentary on the landscape. Viewers have an opportunity to look back in time, seeing both the landscape in front of them as well as a vision of something now past, in this exercise in the overlay of humor and memory.

Jesse Link

Jesse Link’s Vertical Ascension is a free-standing sculpture comprised of four, large rectangular boxes stacked one on top of the other, reaching eight feet high. Each side has a painting on it depicting a sperm whale, a colossal squid, tall trees and a large wave raising a ship into the air. The sculpture will be at the base of the Pike Street Hillclimb.

Tim Marsden

Tim Marsden’s approach to art is to engage the public and create an awareness of our surroundings. In Clutter, he’s created everyday objects (i.e. unwanted newspapers, discarded banana peels, bricks and pallets) in a stylized fashion made from wood, metal, bricks and mixed media. Marsden’s art is placed in inconspicuous sites provoking double-takes and laughs from passers-by. Locations include the bike path on Alaskan Way and crossing the road at Pike Street and Union Ave.

Michiko Tanaka

Michiko Tanaka’s Yellow is a series of posters and postcards with photographs, text and graphic symbols found in unexpected places. The materials include inspirational posters with common scientific theories (energy and mass are equivalent and transmutable), her Grandmother’s sayings (you always worry about the wrong things), and five-by-seven-inch post cards (choice > good choice > bad choice > no regrets). Artworks are scattered under the Alaskan Viaduct, on the Marion Street Terminal walkway, in Waterfront Park and on a variety of traffic signal boxes.

Sam Trout

Sam Trout enjoys instigating the surprise of street art experiences. He will construct the installation Welcome…See you later using masking and vinyl tape in a geometric pattern along the handrail on the Marion Street Ferry Terminal Walkway (Marion Street between Alaskan Way and First Avenue). Trout chose blue and white colors to carry the nautical theme, and will employ assistants to learn from the art-making process.

Beacon Hill Photos: Laura Becker

Waterfront Photos: Juan Hernandez

Office of Arts & Culture | Making art work.

We envision a city driven by creativity that provides the opportunity for everyone to engage in diverse arts and cultural experiences. We are supported by the 16-member Seattle Arts Commission, citizen volunteers appointed by the mayor and City Council.

The post City of Seattle "Art Interruptions", Temporary installations in Beacon Hill & Central Waterfront appeared first on SeattleArtists.com Blog.

204. Source: The Guardian Culture Podcast

Item: The Truth podcast: Eat Cake
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Francesca Panetta

Enclosure (mp3)

205. Source: The Guardian Culture Podcast

Item: The Heckle 02: Mistaken identities
Date: 7 August 2007, 6:35 am

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Enclosure (mp3)

206. Source: The Guardian Culture Podcast

Item: Venice Biennale: Interview with Sophie Calle
Date: 15 June 2007, 6:35 am

The Guardian's Adrian Searle talks to artist Sophie Calle about her installation, Take Care of Yourself, on display at the Venice Biennale 2007.

Enclosure (mp3)