Dark Fantasies

My love of fantasy is a major part of who I am as both and artist and person. I spent a lot of time imagining as an only child, and while I didn't have and imaginary friend, per se, I did relish in opulent daydreams that continue to fuel my creative work.  That being said, it's always a pleasure to find representations of blackness within the realm of fantasy.  Nalo Hopkinson, who writes patois so well that the rhythm and melody is like a soundtrack to her glittering speculations of alternate realities, and Octavia Butler (grand Dame of SciFi)- whose economic prose mirrors the adventures of her ultra-capable black sheros. 

Of course, M.Alsi Dukan's encyclopedic knowledge of speculative fiction bends to the narratives she creates through film.

  

Most recently, though, I've been introduced to two visual artists who take me on a trip and feature people of the African Diaspora...

Toyin Oluwa

and 

Ruud Van Empel

Self Portraiture

 I keep these scraps of cardboard  around my studio as a surface to puncture my "Paper doll-Marionette-Fetish Objects", but inevitably they serve as space to write notes and ideas.  As the turning of the New Year is upon us, I am finally getting a chance to file and filter these tidbits into information I can use.  For example, Lyle Ashton Harris, appeared randomly on my cardboard, but was contextualized after a brief internet search.  I am particularly intrigued by his use of self-portraiture as means to present various personae.  This is something a I wish to explore myself- perhaps as a female drag queen...?

Get It In Your Mind #10: Art Accesories

 

Get your limited edition "Dis Bitch..." tote by Michael Paul Britto.  Currently available in Natural, each item features the iconic Scarlett and Mammy duo from Gone With the Wind, and finally gives voice to thousands of enslaved women.  25.00 USD includes shipping and handling anywhere within the continental Unites States and each tote is signed by the artist.  Washable (GENTLE CYCLE- INSIDE OUT-COLD WATER) and durable-- make a stylish statement with "Britt-ote".

ORDER NOW!

Michael Paul Britto + Tracey Snelling at SMACK MELLON

You're invited to a CLOSING RECEPTION for Tracey Snelling's Woman on the Run & Michael Paul Britto's Society's Children Sunday, January 3 4 - 6 pm Smack Mellon 92 Plymouth Street, Dumbo Brooklyn A/C to High Street, F to York Street To read the press release, please visit our website.

A note from artist Tracey Snelling:

Woman on the Run has been a great success! Thanks to Smack Mellon, the installation sponsors, and everyone who helped to make it happen.The show is ending January 3, and we would like to invite you to an intimate closing reception. I plan to be available to talk about the installation, its history, and where it's going next.  So if you have not yet seen the installation, or have and would like to join us for a quiet evening with cheese and wine, come by!

Woman on The Run is an installation that intricately mixes architecture, scale modeling, video, photography and 3-D story telling with a heady dose of Hollywood glamour and Hitchcock-like built-in suspense. A multimedia project, Woman on the Run explores a fragmented narrative about a fated woman. The main character, a combination of heroines and femme fatales from 1950s and 1960s film noir, is trying to escape her fate. A crime has taken place, and she is wanted for questioning. Throughout the installation, different clues are given about what might have happened and who the woman is. Is she the victim, or the perpetrator? A study in feminism or an example of outdated ideas?
An alternate world of shrunken buildings, neon signs, and a life size motel offer a selection of clues that conspire to initially draw the viewer to the action and then help them thread together the disconnected story that just happened. The viewer quickly becomes a witness and to some extent an actor within the story, often assuming the role of a detective. Video plays in windows and conversations can be overheard. Reality becomes based more in perception than in absolutes. The blacks and whites of life shift to grey, and the truth becomes shrouded in mystery.

Sponsored by Smack Mellon, San Pablo Arts District Fund, EAmmune, Osborne Samuel Gallery, Galerie Urs Meile, Aeroplastics Contemporary, Pan American Art Projects, Jane Wattenberg, and many others!

With the help of Idan Levin, Susan Roth, Daniel Levin, Douglas Leach, Russ Osterweil, Kate Perry, Selfridges, Wedel Fine Art, Nine AM, and my family and friends.

- Tracey Snelling, December 2009




A note from artist Michael Paul Britto:

Society's Children is ending on January 3, and there will be a small closing reception. For anyone interested, I will be in attendance to talk about the work, my influences, and my process. I would like to thank Smack Mellon for the opportunity to exhibit my work, and Roi Elliott for his wonderful performance in Verbal Assault. I would also like to thank everyone who took the time to check out the exhibition. If you haven't seen Society's Children please do so, and if you did come through again so I can thank you in person!

- Michael Paul Britto, December 2009

In Gaza, Eating Under Siege by Maggie Schmitt

I am typically content to be virtually clueless about current global events, but recently I have been dreaming about being a world traveler, so I am compelled to investigate the international landscape in my own way.  A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a journalist (Etienne Truchot) who mentioned a catastrophic phenomenon involving corporate fishing and the depletion of fish.  Jace Clayton posted the following video on his blog, which adds yet another layer to Etienne's maritime expose...

In Gaza, Eating Under Siege

Fishing in Gaza - version for The Nation from maggie schmitt on Vimeo.

Pinata Loco!!!!

 

I've been invited to be one of 12(?) artists creating pinatas for an event called "Rompe Puesto" at the Bronx River Arts Center.   This 'Party-as-Performance' will take place on Friday, January 8, 2010 from 7-10pm and includes Pinata busting, drinks, and music.  Donations are welcomed :-)

How to Make a Pinata

http://www.confettisystem.com/

"Out of everywhere into nowhere. Is that a poem, or is that a wish?" -Roy Timberlake

On my occasional visits to TheRoot.com I am usually impressed with some piece of commentary offered on it's digital pages.  Stanley Crouch's critical essay of the 1942 film , In This Our Life, is a fine example of the site's standout submissions.  I was particularly struck by Mr. Crouch's ability to speak both, to the racial overtones of the film, and how these privileged notions are a negative representation of our cumulative  national character:

"The film also foresaw the insufferably narcissistic age in which we now live because Stanley Timberlake's favorite word is the first person pronoun --I,
 me, my, mine -- and her sense of life is that she is due her happiness as 
the supreme expression of privileged existence. Endless entitlement is what 
this woman interprets as love, from within her family or without. It does 
not matter who has to die or be imprisoned or which arrogant blood relative
 will die within six months. They were all born to service her appetite for
 fun in some way, which is why Bette Davis knew what Stanley was and how well
 her very presence, even on the silver screen, explained so much about why
 the stubborn quality of Southern bigotry stood in place for so, so long.
 Letting the privileges of bigotry go would have meant growing up, a 
condition we Americans -- North and South, East and West -- have never enjoyed 
because it gets in the way of our gusto."

In either case, I was compelled to watch the film (provided in youTube segments below) as continued research for my whitebitches | The Platinum Eaters series.  Enjoy!

Facing Ali

My research of Ali's pugilistic legacy continues...

The Break Up Project by Rylee Eterginoso

My friend and amazing colleague is developing an interactive Art-Prose project.  

Please read below for details and make a clean (or dirty) break...

  

http://thebreakupproject.tumblr.com/

Angels, Demons, Good, Evil...

I am not sure what has inspired the current fascination with the (meta)physical extremes of Good and Evil- but it's apparent from film and music that we are connecting with these ancient notions of human experience.  I suppose there's always been a sense of 'the end times', but accelerating climate shifts, environmental catastrophes, economic crises, and celebrity deaths create a fervor that inspires our most paranoid apocalyptic fantasies.

Here are few choice selections that illustrate the influence of the 'end times' on contemporary pop culture.

God'z Porno by CAKTUZ TREE..?13

...Don't be scared, but I'm just saying...

The Sambo Series (Part 2)

I have recently (re)discovered the power of matte-red lipstick.  One shade away from truly obnoxious, the hue I've selected makes me feel empowered in a very strange way, plus I think it reads "fabulous".  If the reactions from friends and strangers is any indication, I am not too off base in this assessment.  

To be sure,  even my most mundane choices influence my studio practice, and this scenario is no different.  In fact, it seems to be a continuation of a self portrait series I posted on facebook a little over a year ago called The Sambo Series.  Perhaps I am trying to reclaim this very ugly caricature of blackness and transform it into something both provocative and appealing.  Check below and leave comments regarding my success or failure...

The Good Guy From Harlem: Explorations in BAD Cinema

I just finished watching another .99 movie and it was worth every penny.  

Check the LINK below for an on point review of this laughable-so-bad-it's-good film.

The Good Guy From Harlem : Or Al Connors, International Brother of Mystery

More Masks...

Fantastic work by Phillip Valdez.

Masks for the Chorus

I found mask maker, Jonathan Becker, during a Google search for masks in the Greek Choral tradition.  I continue to be inspired by visuals like the ones below and I'm anxiously anticipating how they will influence my performance work. 

 

I also took a gander at Alyssa Ravenwood's spectacular work...

The Greek Chorus...

"The Chorus:

Up to the point when Sophocles imported his innovations in drama, the chorus had 12 members. Sophocles added three more. The 15 members of the chorus were entering the orchestra in rows ( usually face=3, depth=5 ), which means that although in old dithyramb the chorus was making a circle, in ancient theater the chorus was making squares. The leader of the chorus ("Coryphaios") was in the middle of the first row. Coryphaios was a professional dancer and singer. The rest of the chorus consisted of amatures chosen by the poet and payed by the sponsor (choregos)

The chorus was entering from the two "parodoi". His appearance was depending on the play. For the tragedy the chorus was very solemn and it was called "emmelia". In comedies it was funny and it was called "codrax", when in satiric drama it was scoptic and it was called "sicinnis".

The chorus, was considered to be the mouthpiece of society (in its humble form) and morality, and they were suffering along with the heroes. Its role (very important at first) was fading during the time."

Star Trek: The Next Generation ("Loud as a Whisper")

I have been thinking about incorporating a (Greek) chorus into my performance work, especially considering the visual success of the Brown Becky mask, but the actual logistics are fairly vague.   During my recent cable television overload,  i watched ST:TNG's  "Loud As A Whisper" episode and was inspired by the alien communication depicted.  The story follows "Riva", a noted intergalactic negotiator, who comes from a royal bloodline that is distinguished by a genetic 'flaw' : auditory processing is impossible.  As a consequence a peculiar method of communication evolves, which includes a "chorus".  This "chorus" serves as interpreter and mouthpiece(s) for three aspects of his character. Watching this episode was serendipitous, as the wheels are turning with possibilities related to this concept.  See below for YouTube LINKS.

Part 1/5 | Part 2/5 | Part 3/5  | Part 4/5 | Part 5/5

Shower Slide by FlyGirl Robot

And now, for the newest project from FlyGirl Robot and the folks at Faux Vinyl...

photo credit: scraff1967 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/scraff/2753251306/in/photostream/)
 

Track Listing:

Temple of Tears | Clogged | Snake | Wooden Plunger | Together Holding | D(raining) | Post Navel Drip | Mil-do-do Hoodoo | Stalling For Time

Kenya (Robinson): Pomade in America

Interview with Gilbert King...

The Word mixtape produced by Dynasty Electric and Ski Beatz

Click the image to LINK to the free download...

Alex Ross: Music Critic

Issue Project Room

Smithsonian Folkways

I got my first whistle recording last night (Thanks Britto!), and I've been steadily researching traditional musical forms as material for unTill. Smithsonian Folkways is an optimal resource that features CD's, MP3's, commentary, liner notes, etc. all related to 20th century sound.  They've got a noteworthy collection of podcasts which are grouped under descriptive headings, offering valuable slices of sonic history.  Click the images below to be directed to these online selections.

WHITE CHIRISTMAS...

Last night I watched White Christmas for the very first time. I'm not sure how avoided its indoctrination as a yuletide classic, but the technical skill and creativity of its creators and practitioners, is a worthy spectacle.  The film is wrought with cultural cues that provide a telling commentary on race, gender, and sexuality the during the post war era of baby boomers and the introduction of the United states as a economic and cultural world power. 

Save for the disembodied hand during "Snow", blackness is conspicuously absent, and strangely mimicked, during the Minstrel Number.  In the midst of giving myself permission to enjoy this slice of Americana, I am also composing a critical response...

Printed Matter, Inc.

"Printed Matter, Inc. is the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to publications made by artists. Recognized for years as an essential voice in increasingly diversified artworld conversations and debates, Printed Matter is dedicated to the examination and interrogation of the changing role of artists’ publications in the landscape of contemporary art."

As usual, I have accidentally found another resource to share creative work. Printed Matter accepts edition-ed submissions of art books on a daily basis.  Zines, chapbooks, CD's, board games, etc. are all potential additions to their catalog.  And, since the organization is a non profit, they happily split the proceeds in equal halves- 50% for the organization and 50% for the artist.  I made my own submission on Friday, hopefully they will look kindly on my first intentional attempt at self publication, but I plan to continue experimenting with this platform.  Perhaps a the liner notes for the Faux Vinyl Catalog is on the horizon...

Kind of a big deal...

LINKS

http://www.artseditor.com/html/features/0208_whitney.shtml

http://www.artseditor.com/html/features/0308_whitney.shtml

http://www.whitneybiennial.com/

“Did Harriet Tubman ever f@#% anybody or was she too busy?” - Akilah Oliver (Sacred Naked Nature Girls)

On Thursday, I went to Elia Alba's opening of BUSTS at the Black & White Gallery.  It was a beautifully creepy presentation that referenced classic sculptural forms and the masked identities we are assigned, as well as the ones we assume.  As with any great opening the conversation proved eye-opening, and somewhere, nestled in the congratulatory remarks, Latasha Diggs mentioned a performance group called "Sacred Naked Nature Girls".  My subsequent online research revealed the quote above.  I don't ever recall truly thinking about Harriet Tubman beyond her iconoclastic role as undergrond railroad conductor.  Shame on me!  Fortunately, folks like Michael Paul Britto, have imagined her fuller life through satire.

Additionally, I met a curator and Art Historian who has been working in New York for 30 years.  Our brief exchange was an invigorating challenge to the choices I am making in the studio and the vocabulary I used to describe it.  I am looking forward to hosting her for a studio visit (more details to come)...

Not so random LINKS:

LACE

Astonishment & Power: The Eyes of Understanding: Kongo Minkisi / The Art of Renee Stout

Howardena Pindell on KARA WALKER - NO / YES / ?

Shelf Life: Kara Walker NO/YES/?