My first (and possibly only) imix for the iTunes music store is now available. I have tried to give a reasonable song selection - most of what I'm listening to right now is hard to find on CD - even harder to find here at the iTunes store. Really though you won't go wrong. All of these tracks went #1 in my head at some point in my life.

You can go here if you have iTunes

Labels: general notice, music

"One is liable to see things in maps that are not there. One must be careful of the Hypothetical monsters that lurk between the maps latitudes."
- Robert Smithson

The CLUI straddles a curious position between research and art practice. It was this idiosyncrasy that interested me last year at the Whitney Biennial.

The CLUI has never made any claims as to being an art practice (that I know of) or even creating a project that is labeled "art". They are however watched as well as granted money by arts foundations as well as land use organizations (in fact the CLUI has received a NEA grant - noteworthy in itself for a "non-art" organization). Practitioners from related fields, as well as academics are not quite as quick to accept the CLUI because of the less than traditional methods that are used. A quick case study about the CLUI could be made for the Nevada desert, in particular the area we know as "Area 51" and The Nellis Range.

Nevada has the greatest expanse of restricted land in the country - as well as some of the most secretive parts of military industry. The Nellis Range is operated by the Air Force which uses the area to conduct live tests (cluster bombing fake villages and the like) as well as who knows what else. An interesting note, parts of The Nellis Range don't even officially exist on the map. Employees stationed at the range are flown in from a private terminal in Las Vegas airport. To get access to the site The CLUI conducted over 9 years of research which ended with photographing signage claiming restricted access. The centers assessment of the area ended up relying on detailed descriptions of closed gates and guard houses. It should be noted their method never once involved hoping the fence - instead they circumnavigated the range, while noting that there is a good view from the fence.

I think that it is this part - mapping the unmapped is what interests me most.

Some other events they have directed include "The Tour of the Monuments of the Great American Void" including the Bonneville Salt Flats and, "Margins in Our Midst: A Journey into Irwindale" A tour bus outing in which they told the passengers; "We will be going to some of the most banal and dramatic landscapes of Los Angeles, and by the time we are done, we won't be able to tell the difference."

The Center is notorious in not taking a political or should I say accountable stand in the actual use of land. The mundane of the administrative is really the focus - this acts as a substitute for the drama of the tangible (or the beautiful). This approach - using some of the smaller strategies from conceptual art and looking at the edges of our cultural use of the space we live in is the open ended map that The CLUI is creating.

Worth noting:
The CLUI has a newsletter - The Lay of the Land. This should be interesting reading in the long term - in the sort term I suggest you try the web site http://www.clui.org

Labels: conceptual art, Los Angles

I know there is a more detailed article about this on ArtNet - however I thought I would note that there are 11 events riding piggy back on ABMB. That's pretty impressive wether or not you hate the whole art fair thing. The most amazing part of all these events is that they are pretty interesting on their own.

BTW, yes I'll be there again this year. I'll try to catch a good many of these events - I'm looking forward to the main attraction as well as Aqua - my favorite from last year. A couple of new things this year sound intriguing - INK Miami and the Bridge Art Fair seem to hold some promise as well.

Are you going? let me know and I'll link to your site - maybe we should have a pop or two as well. My email is mlangley@mediastudio.com

The NADA Fair - Dec. 6-10, 2006
Pulse Miami - Dec. 7-10, 2006
Aqua Art Miami - Dec. 7 -10, 2006
Scope Miami - Dec. 7-10, 2006
Flow - Dec. 6-10, 2006
INK Miami 2006 - Dec. 7-10, 2006
Photo Miami 2006 - Dec. 7-10, 2006
Bridge Art Fair Miami 2006 - Dec. 7-10, 2006
Design Miami - Dec. 7-10, 2006
DiVA Miami - Dec. 7-10, 2006
Pool Art Fair - Dec. 8-10, 2006

Labels: Art Basel Miami Beach, Collecting, general notice, Miami

Archivist Matt Wrbican talks about Warhol's Time Capsules with Peter Nesbett in Art on Paper

I've copied a few questions from this interesting, but short article on the Art on Paper website - please do read the whole thing here

Quick Overview:
At the time of his death in 1987, Andy Warhol left behind a warehouse full of cardboard boxes that contained the ephemera of his daily life, cleared from his desk on a regular basis from 1974 onward. Most of the material, which includes invoices, publicity stills, newspaper clippings, photographs, etc., is not sorted, and remains in storage at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. Peter Nesbett spoke briefly with Matt Wrbican, archivist at the museum, about the Time Capsules and what is being done with them.

How many Time Capsules have you opened?
About 160. I opened number 25 yesterday and I found half a dozen Warhol artworks: a portrait drawing from the fifties, a Polaroid of Bridgit Polk, a self-portrait cube from "Portraits of the Artists," and three photobooths, including one of the most salacious I've ever seen—an unidentified clothed man, whose face is unseen, exposing his penis. Most of the documents were from 1963 to 1970: notes about his early films, some rare exhibition catalogs and underground publications, juicy correspondence, bills for art supplies and medicines, a Chubby Checker LP, and a Velvet Underground single.

How long would it take to finish cataloging all the contents of the boxes?
Four people working full-time for fifty years.

++++++++++++
This is fascinating to me, I love pack rat stories. Like it or not, Warhol just continues to fascinate.

Please read the whole thing here

Labels: Collecting, Warhol

In 1991, David Wojnarowicz and Sylvère Lotringer met in the East Village to conduct a dialogue on Wojnarowicz's work. DW was already in the last stages of AIDS, and saw his dialogue with Lotringer as a chance to be clear about his aspirations and political views. Later SL reached out to DW's collaborators and friends - Julia Scher, Richard Kern, Kiki Smith, Nan Goldin, and others. The untold story that emerges here is the collaborative work of artists. It comes down to the fact in DW's case that he was a great synthesizer of ideas and images as well as a great artist.

for more information please visit semiotext(e)

Labels: 80's, books, East Village

Minneapolis, Minnesota to Chicago, Illinois - Highlights include: Richard Serra's "Joe" at the Pulitzer Foundation, the world's largest stucco snowman, Michael Eastman (photographer), and Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House. Oh yeah something about "American Gothic". The Farnsworth House and the segment on Michael Eastman are both worth the price of admission.

Artland: USA is on the Dish Network on channel 9472.

Labels: Artland: USA, Michael Eastman, Richard Serra, TV

This is a quick link to the always amazing UBUWEB.

Excerpts From Speculation (1967-1970)
Mel Bochner

For a variety of reasons I do not like the term “conceptual art.” Connotations of an easy dichotomy with perception are obvious and inappropriate. The unfortunate implication is of a somewhat magical/mystical leap from one mode of existence to another. The problem is the confusion of idealism and intention. By creating an original fiction, “conceptualism” posits its special nonempirical existence as a positive (transcendent) value. But no amount of qualification (or documentation) can change the situation. Outside the spoken word, no thought can exist without a sustaining support.

Read the whole thing here

Labels: conceptual art, light reading, Mel Bochner, UBUWEB

By now, I have to assume everyone in the world has seen this - but it's worth the link. This is basically a walking tour of DC Hardcore including films for those of you tied to your desk.

Here's the text stolen from the homepage:
"Washington D.C. is known worldwide as the home of the beloved US President, miles of national monuments, and throngs of politicians. But perhaps lesser known is D.C.'s status as an epicenter of essential American musical movements, including the harDCore scene that emerged in the late 70s."

Check it out: http://yellowarrow.net/capitolofpunk/

Labels: HarDCore, Washington D.C.. Punk

Rubber band drawings and sculptures are currently being shown at Barbara Krakow this month. I missed the much talked about installation at Pace earlier in the year and as a result, was happy to see this small, yet engaging exhibit. 4 or 5 rubber band drawings are exhibited along with a couple of sculptural pieces and the result is quite successful. I tend to feel with Donovans work, bigger is very often better and in that vein my favorite piece was a sculpture approx. 40 x 40 x 40 - a cube covered in stick pins. It's shiny and captivating as well as untouchable - it seems like a perfect piece - of course perfection can hurt you as well.

The rubber band "drawings" feel more like prints to me (and it hardly matters one way or the other). The technique is easy to understand as well as the resulting image - yet its the presence (in all of Donovans work) of basic office supplies that have been repurposed to something more interesting as well as beyond the traditional use of the materials. You might say she has found something organic in the use of these everyday office materials.

Labels: Barbara Krakow Gallery, Boston, Drawings, Tara Donovan

This is an unfortunate show for the most part, although there are two highlights that I think deserve mention.

1.Mathieu Briand, "UBIQ, A Mental Odyssey" is lacking in its virtual reality goggles and immersive artificial world - the installation, a direct quotation of Stanley Kubrick 2110 A Space Odyssey is spot on. I just enjoyed walking through that space more than the actual technological experience.

2. Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, "Opera for a small room" is an installation in a room inside the space - feeling like the unabombers cabin but stocked with turntables, records and speakers. This mechanical performance is the most engaging of the entire exhibit. It's use of technology - not for the sake of technology but to use the technology to go beyond the presentation is quiet and spectacular.

Most of Sensorium felt like a science experiment masquerading as art - these two pieces are the standouts of a poorly executed and lackluster curatorial approach to the experiential nature of art. I hope part two is quite a bit stronger.

Labels: Bad Review, Boston, conceptual art

A long time ago I raved about this article in Dwell Magazine about collecting art - well I found it online. Follow this link

Labels: Collecting, Dwell Magazine