Using Insecurity...

So, I'm in the process of making new work in anticipation for our Works-In-Progress presentation and feeling very insecure about how things are developing.  Of course I am a bit nervous about (unintentionally) parroting the work of other artists, especially since some of my primary materials are so prevalent (magazine cutouts, thread, plastic consumables).  When I feel this way I've found that the best recourse is to confront the insecurity head-on, acknowledge it thoroughly, and keep working through the negative dialogue that's happening in my head.  Recently, a part of this process involved a conversation with one of my studio mates, Kristine Moran.  The unknown can be scary, so in this case I think it's a good idea to become familiar with artists doing "similar" work.   Kristine mentioned a few folks who she thought fit the bill.  Her follow up email is below- and I've included images so that I can be reminded that a part of the issue is that I have so much to learn and be inspired by.  When I look at the work of these artists I feel smaller, in the best possible way, because I recognize that I have space and time to grow.  Plus I have the benefit of being exposed to their work which creates a sort of challenge that distracts me from feeling bad about myself.  The communal environment of our shared studio is a worthwhile lesson, too.  Both Kristine and Jonathan are so smart and accomplished it can be difficult to focus on my own practice, but besides being amazing artists, they are also fantastic people with an acute sensitivity to what could be viewed as my affliction of 'pesky little sister syndrome'.  Either way, I am feeling empowered by their example and am going to continue pushing myself further...

Wangechi Mutu

Ghada Amer

Debra Hampton

Kenya (Robinson)

-"What can I say?  You can never get 'there', if you don't dream... "

 

Binary Codes

 

Yes/No. Something/Nothing. Filled/Empty. Here/ Not Here.  Dead/Alive. Inhale/Exhale. Zero/One.  Our world is filled with these complex duos.  I am reminded of the character "Bit" in the movie Tron and how much was expressed by its rhythmic yeses and nos.  The Information Age was birthed and continues to expand by the basic units of binary code : 1 and 0.  In fact, it has been theorized that the the ancient Incas  had a written language based on a 3-D, 7-bit binary code (whatever that means).  Composed as series of knotted and colored strings on a primary cord, these Khipus were apparently tactile 'books' depicting myths, governmental transactions,  and news. These visuals are entrirely inspirational to the work I am doing and connect to my conceptual perspective that the standardized notions that we have in our present society are not immovably stuck with glue, but rather they are ideologial notions that are merely tied to this particular time/space.  Perhaps we can unravel the knots...

On a related (binary) note I am in the process of creating sound portraits from individual Yes/No quiz responses.  I've gathered  a series of surveys from the internet and plan to introduce them to my fellow residents so they can supply responses .  Using my typical arsenal of Garage Band and the text-to-voice function of Text Edit, I am looking forward to seeing what the end results will sound (and look like). Stay tuned.

Get it in Your Mind #14: Works-in-Progress | Open Studios

Workspace Works-in-Progress: Open Studios

Get a behind-the-scenes look at artists’ studios. Workspace, LMCC’s studio residency program is opening its doors for the first time this year. Meet the 20 emerging visual artists and 9 writers in their studio spaces and see the work they have been making since September. Residents are working in all media and genres in unique spaces generously donated by downtown real estate owners. Come see how LMCC is changing what it means to work Downtown. For more information about the program, please visit our website.

This event is free, but an RSVP is required.

Works-in-Progress: Open Studios is presented in association with Armory Arts Week.

Dates & Times

Sunday, March 7, 12–6PM

Location

125 Maiden Lane, 9th & 14th Floors

RSVP now!

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Interested in becoming a Workspace resident?

Workspace 2010-2011 Call for Applications is Now Open!

Deadline: Thursday, March 25, 2010, 5PM

CLICK HERE for information about applying.

View the list of Workspace supporters.

Documentation (New Way)

This week has been a whirlwind, but in the midst of celebrating Rashaad's inclusion in the Whitney Biennial, figuring out the capabilities of my new smart phone (Yay! It takes pictures!), and working pieces for our "Works-In-Progress" open studio- it's been a bit challenging to blog as often as I would like.  In either case, I am on my way to a balance and wanted to share my thoughts on the use of media in the life of an artist.  I am discovering how instrumental internet video is to connecting the layers of artistic practice.  And while some of us may be content with maintaining an air of mystery, I find the increasing level of disclosure refreshing.  I found that it connects me with an artist's work even more, and clarifies their vision in a way that feels like a more engaging dialogue with the audience.  I've embedded a few videos that illustrate this worthwhile approach in distinct ways, Enjoy!  You can also access more videos from The Whitney's BLIP channel HERE

Pins and Needles

Yesterday was all about taking care of myself and preparing a calm mental space so that I could think about the next moves in my conceptual work.  A few things presented themselves pretty thoroughly, but I think I will share an idea that reveals a key element of my practice: Meticulousness.  As much as I want to celebrate the layered thoughts that comprise my work, I  think that it's interesting and important to recognize that the how of the doing plays an equally important role as the what, the where, the when, the who, and the why.  I now acknowledge that I have always been interested in painstaking, repetitive actions.  As a kid I was a model maker, cross stitch-er, puzzle put-together-er, etc.  In fact, when I was a freshman in high school I used my preparation for geography quizzes as an opportunity to create a systematic art project.  Using my mother's electric typewriter I would list each country on a piece of paper, where I would then cut into minute labels and back with colored construction paper.  I would  shade the corresponding country the same color as the label backing, playing with texture and intensity.  I would work happily on these projects for hours and besides cementing the information into my brain, it proved to be an enormously telling exercise.  A part of me wants to reject this notion of my personality- something more carefree sounds more romantic- but the proof is in the pudding.  This acceptance and awareness is opening up a fascinating realm where I can explore the creation of new experiments in meticulousness.  

And so- I am going to use (sewing) pins as not only  tools to create my scarification motifs, but as a medium that remains in the piece as an integral part. 

I've been doing some research on sewing pins and have been introduced to their prominence in witchcraft as expressed in the 17th century.  I am going to explore this connection further, but in the meantime a few links are provided below as a kind of introduction...

Creating a domestic witch bottle as a home protection spell   

What are the different types of sewing pins? 

What does it mean if you find sewing pins stuck in your door frame?

Spells (wikihow)

PIN_Wikipedia

 The Dialect of The Appalachian People

The Hand Sewing Needle: History and Facts  

Sewing Needle_Wikipedia

The Eye of the Needle

 

Julius Lester

"There's something unsettling about reading through the 12 stories Julius Lester tells in How Many Spots Does a Leopard Have? And Other Tales (Scholastic: $13.95; all ages). They're all recognizable folk tales; they're about courageous villagers, or crafty animals, or luckless travelers . . . but something seems unusual. In the author's note at the end of the collection, the mystery is solved: Lester has selected the tales from both African and Jewish traditions.

Exercising the poetic license of the storyteller, Lester has crafted tales that will speak to his audience. "I am also an American. The culture in which I live is very different from the societies and cultures that created these tales." Folk-tale purists will be horrified to read how he has picked and chosen, changed details, even combined elements of two traditions in a single tale. But these stories are so lively they positively dance, particularly in the dialogues between the smart-alecks inevitable in any storytelling tradition. In "Tug-of-War," Turtle proposes a contest of strength:

"Why?" Elephant wanted to know. "There's no way you can beat me, half pint."

"So if you can't lose, what's the big deal? . . . If neither of one of us wins, we're friends. Deal?"

Pleasing the ear is exactly the job of the storyteller. So let the purists rant; the beauty of folk tales is that they are always there, waiting for another storyteller's voice."

-SONJA BOLLE, Los Angeles Times

lián amaris

"Lián Amaris is an interdisciplinary performance theorist and artist who focuses on media, technology, pop culture, and gender. She is currently the Robert and Ruby Priddy Professor of Performance Studies and Digital Media at Colorado College. She teaches a combination of performance/studio courses that integrate new and interactive media (Performance Art, Stop-Motion Animation, Techno Performance, Big Game Design) and literature/history courses that fulfill core requirements in the Drama/Dance major (Contemporary Performance 1950-Present, Feminist and Queer Performance, Latino/a and Latin American Performance).

She has performed at a number of internationally recognized spaces for experimental theater including Performance Space 122, Richard Foreman's Ontological-Hysteric Theater, The Brick Theater, The White Box, Galapagos Art Space, and the Knitting Factory. The feature film and architectural installations by R. Luke Dubois, documenting her performance project Fashionably Late for the Relationship (covered by The New York Times, The New York Post, and Reuters in July 2007) are currently touring throughout the United States.

Lián has published articles in TDR: The Drama Review and Explorations in Media Ecology and her current scholarship includes a chapter on the historical Avant-Garde to be included in the forthcoming book Digital Visual Culture: Intersections and Interactions in 21st Century Art Education and a chapter on Madame Tussaud's Wax response to 9/11 to be included in the book 9/11 in Popular Culture"

Get it in Your Mind #13: Museo Magazine

One of my favorite pastimes is walking around the Financial District late at night   There is an amazing calm that envelopes this part of the city, and with the consistent police presence, it feels like one of the safest.  The silent corporate monoliths offer gridded illuminations of security lights and empty cubicles, while converted residences operate in the rhythm of home life.  Last night, as I explored a new route to our new studio space, I encountered a wheat paste sign that was an over-sized crossword puzzle.  As it was partially complete,  I thought how clever it is as an interactive marketing tool and committed museomagazine.com  to memory. Dually impressed by the site's easy navigation and compelling articles on contemporary art,  I am hoping to connect with some of the contributors to invite them to the WorkSpace Work In Progress Salon (March) and/or our Open Studio (May). 

The magazine is published online as a quarterly, but they do maintain an equally fascinating blog called MUSE.

 

Talking Shop (2): Non-Linear Connections

So much of my creative practice is non-linear.  Random discoveries through conversations, internet searches, and experiences culminate in the work I do.  I hope I will soon be able to translate this feeling into a visual presentation that I can use for Artist's Talks/Lectures.  I think I would like to mimic the platform of The Visual Thesaurus (see below) and included audio samples, images, and video. 

"The Visual Thesaurus is an interactive dictionary and thesaurus which creates word maps that blossom with meanings and branch to related words. Its innovative display encourages exploration and learning. You'll understand language in a powerful new way."

Visual Thesaurus_DEMO from Kenya Robinson on Vimeo.

Mac Options For Capturing A Video of Your Screen

Talking Shop

As I continue to develop my body of work, I am struck by the importance of speaking about the creative process in succinct, innovative, and accessible ways.  Talks, presentations, lectures, and interviews  are strategic resources that offer the artist an opportunity to help shape perceptions and emphasize conceptual points that add depth to the work itself.  My experience is just starting to reveal the nuances that are made apparent by various audiences, venues, and expectations.   I appreciate how these discussions have become a significant part of my art practice.  I've actually found myself doing the creative work that inspires solutions and enhances conceptual intentions.  

I recently attended Latoya Ruby Frazier's talk at the International Center for Photography (ICP). I loved that she made her presentation a mix of the traditional and the innovative by showcasing a narrative performance that combined her images with an auditory mix of dialogue, quotes, excerpts, poetry and journaling.  

ICP has a comprehensive archive of this ongoing lecture series HERE. I am hopeful that they will post Ms. Frazier's engaging work soon.

In other news, Deana Lawson presents her creative/conceptual process on Thursday, February 11th/ 7pm at Brownstone Books. Guiding an intimate journey through images from her latest body of work, Corporeal,  the portraits in this collection offer stark depictions of the flesh delivered through what Lawson describes as a collaborative venture with her subjects. Maryann Monforton, Associate Publisher, BOMB Magazine will moderate this event.

From the poet herself...

And this is one of the reasons why you become an artist- for exchanges like these!

Please read below...

Rope-A-Dope: To Win A Losing War (Sound Work)

"Dance until your bones clatter.  What a prize

you are.  What a lucky sack of stars."

(excerpt) At Last the New Arriving

by Gabrielle Calvocoressi

Last Friday I performed at Cabinet Space for Rope-A-Dope, curated by Sohrab Mohebbi and Gabi Ngcobo.  It was a watershed moment in my exploration of performance.  That thing that happens in my studio, were the committed doing and the deep thinking, are simultaneous energies- happened during this performance.  I felt like I had a chance to create questions that didn't necessarily need answers, that it was the questioning that was completely valid in an of itself.  Perhaps, I am getting too ahead of myself, but I think the reaction/participation of the audience communicates something very close to this sentiment.  Ultimately, though, I want to continue developing and exploring this aspect of my art-making.  Perhaps an abstract puppet show becomes an eventual performance, or a sound work collection available on CD/DVD...

In either case, I've included the accompanying sonic component that I created for the performance, below.  Documentation coming soon!

(W)RAPPING from Kenya Robinson on Vimeo.

"Kenya (Robinson) is a multi-media artist based in Brooklyn. She takes the ritual as a site for her artistic production, addressing politics of the quotidian and the ceremonies of the mundane. Her exhibition, “HAIRPOLITIC: The Pursuit of Nappiness” was on view at the Museum of Contemporary African Diaspora Art in 2008, investigating construction of identities within the notions of choice and acceptance. For “Rope-a-dope,” Kenya uses the pre-fight ritual of hand wrapping as the visual backdrop for a rapped soliloquy that fuses the poetry of Gabriella Calvocoressi, the rhymed boasts of Muhammad Ali, and polyrhythmic patterns of 70’s soul.

“Rope-a-dope” is curated by Sohrab Mohebbi and Gabi Ngcobo, second-year graduate students at the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College."

Family Ties...

...can sometimes feel like a noose.

I have recently been the beneficiary of praise for my art, and while I am grateful for the acknowledgment of my hard work, I found myself longing for the support and approval of my parents.  Like most people, my relationship with them is complex, and oftentimes our interactions feel shaded with negativity.  I have nurtured a sense of angst about this situation that threatens my well-being, and frankly I am tired of it.  So, in an effort to understand, acknowledge, and deal with my feelings, I have consulted my friend and colleague's youtube channel.  As a budding relationship therapist, she offers techniques to help heal your childhood wounds and the damaging effects that expectations inspire.   It is freeing to embrace the fact that you are not beholden to impress your parents/family, and that any emotional impediments to your relationship with them can serve as inspiration to treat others in a manner more your liking. Check it...