July 2003, 18 posts, 465 lines
But I thought we should do this anyway..
Look here now: Keri Butler of "Othergroup.net" fame, painter and sculptures Lee Tracy of the "leetracy.com" site, Michael Workman of the famed Bridge Magazine, and Jno Cook of "spaces.org" are talking, demonstrating, and paneling this Thursday nite, under auspices of the Cultural Center's Barbara Koenen -- at the 5th floor of 66 E. Randolph St. (Gallery 37 Center for the Arts), 6 pm to 8 pm
This "Artist at Work" forum is called "Artists and the Internet"
Ought to be fun and informative. /jno
I had an early look at Monique's show today. Y'all should check it out tommorow night. Its an interesting mix of artists. Cindy's work as always is a must see. Beyond that its arranged well and I'm a sucker for a flat screen TV showing stuff that looks like Siebren's. DB
On Tue, 8 Jul 2003 14:20:27 -0500 (CDT), jno wrote:
are of
thanks db,
I should mention the work includes a 15 min. performance at the gallery at 8pm tonight, so I hope you'll come back.
cindy
db wrote:
I had an early look at Monique's show today. Y'all should check it out tommorow night. Its an interesting mix of artists. Cindy's work as always is a must see. Beyond that its arranged well and I'm a sucker for a flat screen TV showing stuff that looks like Siebren's. DB
--
Since the Dept of Cultural Affairs panel discussion "Artists and the Internet" on Jul 10, I have run into something of great use to any community of people, a Wiki.
A wiki is an interconnected series of announcements and comments which can be augmented by anyone, and grows like a tree. I asked my guru to install a Wiki at ChicagoArt.org (Org, not Net), and remove the requirement for user names and passwords, so that is can be seen and used by anyone.
The Wiki is at [http://chicagoart.org/wiki] and is similar to Bridge Magazine's BB service, except that there is no supervision, no overview, and anyone can use it without being identified. Additional pages can be created by anyone, and comments added, and these are available on-line instantly.
It is also the place for outright art-spam. We will discontinue the cumbersome "Notices" spam pages at OG, and link them to the Wiki instead (soon).
The Wiki could also be defaced by anyone (although it requires an excessive amount of typing to do so), but the Wiki keeps track of changes, so it can always be restored, and if need be a blacklist can be developed. But we'll just trust the art community to police themself.
We moved the various Notices from Othergroup.net to the Wiki (and will link the OG Notices page to the Wiki), wrote a "quick start" page, stole some documentation from elsewhere, added a PLaySkool logo rather than use their yellow turkey logo.
It is reliable and easy to use: just type (or use cut and paste) and follow the minimal formatting suggestions (very similar to those in use at OG), and since you get instant results, you learn instantly.
Anyway, I'll added a page for the "Artists and the internet" panel, make a link to the panel.htm file at OG, and added comments separately received since then.
We will add the two handout list (at the Forum) when they are received also, and the proceedings from the previous two "Artists at Work" if they exist.
The Wiki also answers audience member Hayes' suggestion to "create dialogue". And I'll add a note to the top of the Spaces.org page -- soon as I have a moment to do so.
Anyway - you are all invited to comment, add to, deface (no!) the Wiki. No user names, no passwords, no identification (but you can add a screen name), easy.
/jno
Does Other Group still exist? What's Summer without hair-splitting
debates about whether or not people are allowed to be called curators or
artists or both? (Probably a better summer). Anyway, the other day I ran
into Jno on the streets and he begged me to do something to validate
OG's existence. Below are some things that I think are worth checking out.
- Marc
Summer Reading tips:
Wonder why your contemporary art is looking so god damn corporate lately? These books will put you well on the road to understanding how it got that way. Both are very articulate, tough, level-headed bits of essential research and analysis that anyone in the arts needs to read. "Privatizing Culture" focuses on the fun things corporations have done in the U.S. and Britain. "Culture Incorporated" focuses on the U.S. and Germany. There isn't a lot of overlap between the two books because there is more than enough insidious horror to go around. Even if you think you know enough about this subject, you are wrong. It's worse than you thought.
Summer Listening:
Turbonegro: "Apocalypse Dudes" and "Scandinavian Leather"
It's summer, which means you need fun sweaty provocative and sexy death punk. I didn't learn about the denim demons until recently so I've been trying to make up for that by telling people what I was missing. "Apocalypse Dudes" is definitely the better album of the two but "Scandinavian Leather" is easier to find and it features one of the catchiest choruses of the summer:
(Exclamation points added for greater emphasis)
Any lyric booklet from a Turbonegro album probably also counts as good summer reading. If you prowl the internet you can have the pleasure of finding out what Hank Von Helvete is singing about on songs like: "Don't Say Motherfucker, Motherfucker", "Sell Your Body (to the Night)", "Wipe it Til it Bleeds", "Midnight NAMBLA", "Zillion Dollar Sadist", "Rock Against Ass", "Grunge Whore", and other classics. Alice Cooper just played at Navy Pier but his music sucks now. This is the music he would be making if he was still making good music like on "Killers", "Love it to Death", "School's Out" and "Billion Dollar Babies" (also good summer listening).
and finally...
Art (or however this might be classified):
Just got news of this today. This is essential. The last version of "Ask Me!" was probably one of the most engaging, exciting, and rewarding experimental cultural events of last year (or was it earlier this year - can't remember). Miss this at your own peril. If you can't find anything to interest you here then you've gotta be either dead or utterly lacking in any sense of adventure and fun. I can't wait to see how this all plays out at the Museum of Science and Industry:
Join us for ASK ME! at the Museum of Science and Industry August 1st through August 4th
ALL NEW experts illuminate the range of ways that scientific and industrial fields interface with the lives of individuals.
ASK ME:
how you can make an art video at home! if conventional farmers resent organic farmers! why there are really more than two biological sexes! how statisticians rule out chance as an explanation! why the Pullman Company only hired black men as porters! how Taylorism and Fordism have influenced your workplace! where poor people in Chicago will be living 10 years from now! about the advantages and disadvantages of reclined bicycles ! if blind people are less superficial in seeking romantic love! if it is realistically possible to stop being a procrastinator ! about the surprising health effects of even minor sleep deprivation! why the inner ears of pilots give them misinformation at crucial moments! how the Environmental Protection Agency is influenced by industrial lobbies! why I consider monster trucks to be a legitimate sport, not just entertainment! if I maintain scientific accuracy when I write sci-fi about terraforming! to describe 3 aspects of Star Trek which are scientifically impossible!
for an easy environmental and economic alternative to factory farming! how to evaluate whether or not you should throw out a piece of paper! if the video game SIMCity is a good way to study urban planning! if there is any original prairie left in the state of Illinois! what the Pullman porters smuggled into the segregated South! how globalization is contributing to the decline of Fordism! if city bicyclists are endangered by inhaling car pollution! why so many people who are intersexed don t even know it! if and how blind people pick up after their guide dogs! to show you one of my favorite video art classics! if your body calculates a sleep deficit over time! and if you can make up for your lost sleep!
Our hope for othergroup is to have her comfortable, and not constantly dealing with pain and anxiety. Hopefully this new mix of health care professionals will move us in the right direction.
-cindy
Big Thom at the MCA whatever. Three walls kicked off tonight. some support is definately needed to keep these guys running. Jeremy Boyle had an opening last weekend at Boom, I heard it was good. My show, Matt Mahoney was worth the trek, for those that couldn't attend. Paul Chan, a former local just had a half page photo spread in the ny times. Silence is deadly no matter how you look at it. Spread your think DB
On Thu, 24 Jul 2003 23:31:05 -0700, cindy wrote:
and
HI: I have to add this to the list of summer must see's, sorry for the self-promo: Joymore is hosting our thrid and final Chicago out door summer art/party/pleasure fest. Thrill 3: The Party! 1723 Humboldt Blvd. August 2nd-3rd. 3pm until??? go to www.joymore.org for more info. thanks so much, melissa- dog's welcome
-- Marc Fischer
Marc rights "why there are really more than two biological sexes!"
I used to hang out in the UofC science library and pick up chicks by telling
them I was an XYY.
God, I love science jokes.
Curt
Comfortable? I prefer my othergroup bristling with vigor and passion and
yes, even anxiety and pain. She can handle it. But okay then, what is
the noteworthy comfortable culture? A big banana split at Margies?
"Finding Nemo"? I fail to understand. And who are our new health care
professionals and how much do they cost so I will know where to go when
I decide to stop paying for COBRA?
Marc
Cindy wrote:
Our hope for othergroup is to have her comfortable, and not
constantly dealing with pain and anxiety. Hopefully this new mix of
health care professionals will move us in the right direction.
-cindy
Marc: "why there are really more than two biological sexes!"
On Fri, 25 Jul 2003, Curt Conklin wrote:
But you kept it in yr genes, no?
Now we have the book reviews from Marc, let me ask: what have you all been
reading since June? Tell us and add notes. There has to be more than art
specific readings going on. (mine's paleontology and Neolithic topics
right now).
I am reading "You Shall Know Our Velocity" by Eggers. I won't give it a review, but the bookmaking is revolutionary, the first page is on the front cover (2nd ed).
I tried looking for the "Privitizing Culture" book on Amazon and couldn't find it.
Reading a bunch of art books, "Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design", "Typography Workbook". Also my favorite art book is "It Hurts" (Warhol to Now). I can't think of the authors name.
Also, I just wanted to share with the group that I am throwing a piece of art out. It was supposed to be a small flag, and I batik-ed the words "this is not the time of great heroes." and tried to make a real washed out, dingy American flag as a background. I think the piece didn't work because the vision in my mind wasn't working. I was hoping when it was physically made it would redeem itself. Instead it looked heavy handed and like I was trying to hard not to try to hard.
I am going to put it on a stick and poke in on a Wicker Park lawn and say "This is a free piece of art. You can have it."
Thank you for your time and attention,
Kathryn
www.diamondlifecafe.com
Kathryn Born wrote:
"I tried looking for the "Privitizing Culture" book on Amazon and couldn't find it.
Not to be all nitpicky or anything, but the misspelling might have been the problem. It should be "Privatising Culture". I may have misspelled it myself in the last email, or the problem might be that I think this is a British spelling and the U.S. use would be "Privatizing". I found the book at Quimby's so you might want to try them - also, much cooler to buy a book about corporate interventions in culture from a place like Quimby's than Amazon :)
Good luck and happy reading,
Marc
Out of habit, I went to the Newberry Book Fair today. Then I
realized that I neither read nor collect odd books much anymore.
Ignored the fiction pile, leafed through my old haunts of religion,
math, cooking, reference, foreign lanuage and sociology/anthropology.
Took a spin through usually ignored categories of art, romance and
music, I think I missed the "How-To" room.
Still, I came home $20 lighter and a paper bag heavier. I'm not sure
what I've got. Some cassettes and an LP that may be useful for the
in-planning Pirate event (ask me), A collection of Playboy limericks.
a book about spaceships, I dunno. don't have my bag with.
Could be an interesting study or analytic tool to see what people see
in in a similar field. I'll show you yours if you show me mine
This thing goes all weekend, and Sunday is half price
bulka
On Sat, 26 Jul 2003, bulka wrote:
Did you (or anyone) ever see the paperback "How to build a Flying Saucer,
when so many others have failed"? By ... a stevador at one time, so he
figured out (among other things) how ships were loaded along the Nile in
Egypt of 2500 BC (they regularly moved 100 ton bassalt blocks by wooden
boats), but also how block were lifted up the Giza pyramids. (All the
experts say, "ramps" -- sure!) Oh yeah, and how to build a flying saucer.
Well, reading in the heat is no specialty of mine.
And mostly, getting out of the mire of fiction is difficult too.
But I did make the mistake of starting Wittgenstein's Remarks on Color
(as far as arty reading goes), and that is pretty much fiction too, it
turns out. You can pretend you're reading about color, but really it
could be anything sometimes. That's part of the fun of him, maybe.
But then, real fiction:
The Temple of the Golden Pavillion, Yukio Mishima--a Japanese version of
Nabakov. He seems to be meandering around in description, when all of a
sudden, he wraps you in this mix of elegance and, like Nabakov, his own
blend of being a mean bastard. Great.
Then maybe some Graham Greene and Truman Capote short stories just for
good measure especially Handcarved Coffins, in Capote's Music for
Chameleons. A short crime thing to rival In Cold Blood.
There's also this nice little book by Sheila Heti called the Middle
Stories, it's a McSweeney's venture, but it's worth the money at
Quimby's tiny stories about people ignoring other people, office
romances that aren't so romantic, and monkeys.
brian
I've been studying boat design and construction for some time, now. The
best of the many books so far are William Garden's "Yacht Designs" (the
drawings and stories for each design are excellent) and George
Buehler's "Beuhler's Backyard Boatbuilding" for construction. The
second one is limited in scope regarding the many construction methods,
but it makes his method simple and easy to understand and it's fun
reading. I'm also building various cardboard models of boat hull shapes
to help me visualize the hydrodynamics.
I saw the world's oldest know wheels the other day at the Field Museum.
That was interesting.
Dave S.
Thank you for the help. The book's title is spelled "Privatising
Culture". ISBN: 1859844723. You can get a used copy for $8.50.
K
"I used to hang out in the UofC science library and pick up chicks
by telling them I was an XYY.
-/jno
"a book about spaceships, I dunno.
-/jno