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Tired of living your life inside boxes? All those hard lines and perpendicular angles got you down? Well you should be inside one of Richard Serra's sculptures then.
Be there or be square.
I got a chance to see his work at MOMA NYC. Extremely cranky from plate spinning, wild goose chasing, and spreading myself thin, I still couldn't help but notice that Serra's sculptures are fucking incredible. Inside the kind of spaces that Richard Serra creates, I felt e x p a n s i v e. The only relatable experience I can conjure up is being in the desert (Wadi Rum, Jordan). However, this is the industrial equivalent.
I was reminded by Ivan and Eric that Takeshi Murata (American, b. 1974) is featured in the Hirshhorn Black Box circa right now. Nick and I went the other day and were blown away. Who needs drugs when you've got this brand of hallucinogenic video art right in front of you? Of course, then one can't help but wonder about the coupling.
Murata digitally re-works and re-joins various motion picture images individually rendering and altering the pixels into his own creation. Described as "electronic painting," the effect is like "visual quicksand."
I'm not sure if there is much better than a pixelated psychedelic soup where a huge beast emerges. Oh wait, I think there is something better: an epileptic pink dot where Rambo emerges. I can't stop thinking about manly entities disguised as cubed rainbows flowing out of waterfalls!
In Monster Movie (2005), Murata samples from a video of the B-movie Caveman (1981). In Pink Dot (2006) we get Rambo. Also, the music in each piece couldn't have been a better fit. Monster Movie, 4 min: sound by Plate Tectonics. Pink Dot, actually a 5 minute loop: 20 minute soundtrack by Robert Beatty
Here's a little taste of "Pink Dot" though without all the movement this is near pointless:
TODAY! Belaire'a first full length comes out: "EXPLODING / IMPACTING" (buy)
Here's how they describe themselves: "Belaire is a synth-prog-pop band from Austin, TX all about making some good music and colorful visuals. We come from previous & current projects including Fancy Feast, Voxtrot, and Arkay."
They are one of my very favorite Austin bands filled with great people.
While I'm on the subject, why don't I just link you up with some other Austin bands of varying genre niches? This way you can check them out yourself real quick because maybe one or more of them will catch your interest:
If you aren't already familiar with Nam June Paik (South Korean born-American, b.1932)'s video art than I am glad to be of service. Check-a-check-him-out!
Nick and I went to the Portrait Gallery which for some odd and awesome reason has not one but TWO Nam June Paik video installations! Happy day. As it's obviously a very visual and auditory experience, I won't bother trying to explain it much in words.
1. Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii,: a multimedia work in neon, 49-channel video installation map of the United States, with various representative sounds and pictures emanating from each of the 50 states.
This youtube video ain't so hot but it can give you a bit of a feel. However keep in mind it is missing the right HALF of the installation.
I was first introduced to him long ago by way of the Hirshhorn Museum in DC- his piece that is aptly titled: "Video Flag". The title explains all that I would, it must just be seen, but here's a picture of me in front of it:
Went to Wonderland in DC for some dancing and I got it got it. I was so happy to run into an old friend who happened to be DJing (DJ Elsewhere) with his two-man DJ team Sound Advice. I danced like crazy. Sweat sweat sweat. Gimmie some room.
I barely made it in time, but managed to get over to the The National Gallery of Art (Washington DC) to see the "avant-garde shorts" part of the series "Modernity and Tradition" in the large auditorium. I love that auditorium. And it was such a pleasure to be able to see these films there in their original format.
The program included works from Hans Richter (of course, a staple), Jerzy Gabrielsky, Jerzy Zarzycki and Tadeusz Kowalski, Stephan and Franciszka Themerson, Alexandr Hackenschmied, Elmar Klos.
Thanks to UBU, here's a little taste of what I saw:
I wish I could share with you my favorite: "The Highway Sings" by Elmar Klos! It's a four minute Czech tire commercial from 1937. It starts out with the tire-maker singing about how happy he is to have made his little baby, and that it will grow-up adn be ready to serve its master. Then he sets the tire free- it then sings while rolling over hills and bouncing and rolling through streets. The tire sings of being so excited to find and serve it's master. Then rolls right into the hands of a mechanic who proceeds to promptly put the tire on a car. Then the tire is rolling under the car and is singing about how happy it is to have finally made it. So great.
Rell and I went to see Yo Magesty at Beauty Bar. It was CRAZY AWESOME!!! These three ladies have it going on: they have the diva who goes nuts and often takes off articles of clothing, they have the smooth hypnotic rapper, and the enthusiast who keeps the vibe going and keeps the crowd pumped. They are all lesbians which makes it really interesting because they take on that "you a nasty girl" anthem- getting the girls to get it going on the dance floor. However, they seem to be somewhat mocking that male chauvinism in the same breath. The songs are fun and smart.
At first, as usual in Austin, everyone was having trouble moving. But I mean come on, these ladies were giving us all the cues on how to MOVE so finally the crowd got a little less white (metaphorically) and started shaking it. By the middle of the show, people were getting up on stage and going crazy. They got brought back to their place. Then Yo Majesty started hand-picking people (mostly hot girls) to go on stage. Rell and I got picked and basically were back-up dancers for the rest of our time on stage. It was really fucking fun. The crowd was pumped and people were getting nasty in the best way possible.
If Yo Majesty rolls by your city you best be going with your dancing shoes on and leave your attitude at the door.
Went to see him at Emo's Austin. It was a truly unique experience where he created a very happy participating audience. He handed out the lyrics to "Wam City" and had everyone singing along. Rell got to be one of the four choir members which involved wearing a WIZARD CLOAK. He had another sing-a-long to "Silence Like The Wind." He told stories that were fantastic. And he started a dance contest instructing everyone to create a circle because we're having a dance-off. The rules were 1) dance if you get tapped 2) be sexy 3) not be a coward.
Here's a little taste. I got tapped so you can see me (barely) out of the corner of the camera's eye in the middle:
And here's part of him telling a story:
If Dan Deacon comes your way, drop everything and go! You will be the happiest person alive.
Just finished reading Haruki Murakami's latest novel After Dark.
A favorite exercise of mine is to take excerpts and put them together in a way that sounds like one coherent piece. Here, I handpicked parts from all over the place throughout After Dark. Together, these parts make a the perfect whole for me.
This exercise, unlike The NewYorkTimes' book review , does NOT give anything away in a spoiling manner. However it does give way to a meaning that is a meeting somewhere between him and I. ---
"It's not that difficult once we make up our mind. All we have to do is separate from the flesh, leave all substance behind, and allow ourselves to become a conceptual point of view devoid of mass. With that accomplished, we can just pass through any wall, leap over any abyss. Our question marks are sucked, unresisting, into the final darkness and uncompromising silence of the night. And then the world is reconstructed. A new substance surrounds us. We can sense the approach of dawn. The deepest darkness of the night has now passed. But is this actually true? Unimpeded by other schemes, this hint of things to come takes time to expand in new morning light, and we attempt to watch it unobtrusively, with deep concentration. It could be a day remarkable enough in many ways to remain in the memory. In either case, for now, for most people, it is a blank sheet of paper."
Rell Ohlson (yes!) and Josh Rios (all right!) made this adorable little animation. Including the music. I intermittently witnessed this glorious endeavour as it unraveled in the comfort of my own home.
* “Crucified cupcakes on the holy mountain as the ghost balloons try to steal my dog to take to Conan the Barbarian. Josh and Rell documented the whole thing.” -Rell * “Jodorowsky eats a bloody cupcake and kicksback with Rell and Josh to drink Tecate and watch Matt Dillon be sexy. Afterwards we made a video about it.” -Josh
I findmicroblogging can be a great way to quickshare. And of course photos create their own language window of insight. If you're interested in me personally and what I do, my websitemight tell you a bit more.
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