Monday, January 12, 2009
Call for Proposals & Visuals (ArtistsMeeting)
As the "Art World" -- as we knew it for the past 15 years -- unravels in the midst of world-wide recessions and economic crises, the question of who/what will survive and how has become prevalent in discussions amongst art critics, art fair attendees, dealers, art students, museum goers, gallery visitors, collectors, curators, and, of course, artists themselves. However, it is also a chance (especially) for the latter to imagine, implement and defend new parameters for art production and circulation. The question is what should these models look like, what direction should they take, and how would they fit into the world at large? The artist group ArtistsMeeting (AM) plans to publish an edited sampling of theories, proposals and opinions, as well as diagrams, graphics and images in hope to jump-start a critical debate. Therefore, we call for image and text contributions from across the current "art world". Please e-mail your responses to: artistsmeeting@yahoo.com. The deadline is January 31st, 2009.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
ArtistsMeeting's Triptych Party
The art collective ArtistsMeeting presented an evening of video curiosities: found, outsider and accidental video art, culled from YouTube, and spun into triptychs using You3b.com.Video triptychs involve three simultaneous video loops projected side by side on the gallery wall. While formally simple, the effect of the looping sequences, overlapping sounds and awkward juxtapositions is uncanny and unsettling. This is due to the slippery dis-harmonization of clip lengths, and the conceptual layering of the elements within the videos.
For this 2nd YouTube video show at Postmasters Gallery, the curators Thomas Hutchison, Maria Joao Salema and James Andrews have selected dozens of examples of original U3B triptychs created by members of Artists Meeting.
Artists Meeting is an New York based artists collective of eclectic backgrounds, since it's official start in 2006, they have had public art projects in Conflux 2008 Art Festival and the Dumbo Arts Festival 2007.
You3b is a tool that allows users to make triptychs out of YouTube videos. An Eyebeam project conceived by Jeff Crouse, produced by Jeff Crouse and Andrew Mahon and designed and coded by Andrew Mahon.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Drain: Psychogeography
The biannual online magazine "Drain" features in its current Psychogeography issue (October, 2008 - Vol. 5, No.2) some images from my "mixed messages" series. The magazine states about this issue:
In 1955, Guy Debord described psychogeography as “the study of the specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals.” Debord’s psychogeographical map The Naked City (1957) challenged traditional ideas of mapping relating to scale, location, and fixity, and drew on the work of urban social geographer Paul-Henri Chombart de Lauwe’s concept of the city as a conglomeration of distinct quarters, each with its own special function, class divisions, and “physiognomy,” which linked the idea of the urban plan to the body. An important strategy of the pyschogeographical was the dèrive, “a technique of transient passage through varied ambiences”.
The ‘psychogeographical’ has had a pervasive if somewhat amorphous role in contemporary art and culture. As a creative, social and political tactic, wandering through psychogeographic spaces is pertinent to a diverse range of practices including the use of GPS systems, Internet art, photography as well as sound and performance art.
This issue of Drain has gathered a series of essays, artworks and creative writings to reflect upon the legacies of psychogeography and consider its current manifestations.
In 1955, Guy Debord described psychogeography as “the study of the specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals.” Debord’s psychogeographical map The Naked City (1957) challenged traditional ideas of mapping relating to scale, location, and fixity, and drew on the work of urban social geographer Paul-Henri Chombart de Lauwe’s concept of the city as a conglomeration of distinct quarters, each with its own special function, class divisions, and “physiognomy,” which linked the idea of the urban plan to the body. An important strategy of the pyschogeographical was the dèrive, “a technique of transient passage through varied ambiences”.
The ‘psychogeographical’ has had a pervasive if somewhat amorphous role in contemporary art and culture. As a creative, social and political tactic, wandering through psychogeographic spaces is pertinent to a diverse range of practices including the use of GPS systems, Internet art, photography as well as sound and performance art.
This issue of Drain has gathered a series of essays, artworks and creative writings to reflect upon the legacies of psychogeography and consider its current manifestations.
Book Cover
Slightly belated, Max Dorner's book "Lahme Ente in New York" will be published by Malik (at Piper Verlag) soon. My images of Max will be featured on the cover and flap. I think the cover design turned out quite nice.The German monthly "Das Magazin" will run an excerpt of the book along with some additional images of mine in February 2009.
After 2 months ...
Finally, I get a chance to return with a couple updates after about two months of "silence". I had been off to Europe to get married and enjoy our honeymoon in Paris. Since our return to New York, things have been a bit crazy, but we hope for smooth sailing into the new year. Fingers crossed.In the meantime, I have been working on the extended version of "Critical Distance". I have been invited by the Thuringian Visual Artists Association (Verband Bildender Künstler Thüringen) to have solo show under the same title next September in Erfurt.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Not Public! - Point Proven!
As part of ArtistMeeting's contribution to Conflux Festival we installed the "Not Public!" barricade tape at the privately owned public plaza on 32 Old Slip today. Just after the installation of the piece, security for the adjacent building -- whose owners also own the plaza -- came out to confront us about the tape. They were very agitated and in the process proved our point that these so-called public plazas are not so public, because "you have to get papers [permits] for anything you do on this property." You can see a video of the post-installation encounter on YouTube. I would like to thank my fellow AM-members G.H. Hovagimyan and Lee Wells for keeping a cool head while talking with the guards - and for documenting the piece.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
"mixed messages" in Drain Magazine
A few images from my series "mixed messages" will be featured in the up-coming Psychogeography issue of the online magazine Drain - Journal of Contemporary Art and Culture (scheduled for the end of September).
Friday, September 12, 2008
Not Public!
Although I have been busy planning my up-coming wedding in Germany (9/27), I contributed ideas, time and a project to ArtistsMeeting's (AM) group effort at Conflux Festival here in NYC. In fact, my project -- "Not Public!", red barricade tape with the before-mentioned phrase to be used to temporarily block off privately owned so-called public plazas in NYC -- is the closest interpretation of AM's initial idea for this festival (for more information, see blog entry/press release below). I will share installation pictures as they become available.
Here is my "official" blurb:
In a more critical gesture, Daniel Blochwitz wishes to point out the ambiguous nature of the privately owned public spaces or POPS. He questions whether the trading of (prime real state) space for (public) space between developers and the City really creates valuable communal and green urban areas. After all, most of these so-called public spaces seem to be dark niches, corners and alleyways dressed up with a few mall features and shrubs, and often discourage leisurely use and lingering. And as gated, guarded, and surveilled as the POPS are, one has to wonder about their role within a larger system of control. To highlight this the group will use barricade tape marked with the words “NOT PUBLIC!” to symbolically block off several of the POPS spaces.
Not Public!, Date: Sept. 11-14, Time continuous, Financial District, various locations, Artist - Daniel Blochwitz
Here is my "official" blurb:
In a more critical gesture, Daniel Blochwitz wishes to point out the ambiguous nature of the privately owned public spaces or POPS. He questions whether the trading of (prime real state) space for (public) space between developers and the City really creates valuable communal and green urban areas. After all, most of these so-called public spaces seem to be dark niches, corners and alleyways dressed up with a few mall features and shrubs, and often discourage leisurely use and lingering. And as gated, guarded, and surveilled as the POPS are, one has to wonder about their role within a larger system of control. To highlight this the group will use barricade tape marked with the words “NOT PUBLIC!” to symbolically block off several of the POPS spaces.
Not Public!, Date: Sept. 11-14, Time continuous, Financial District, various locations, Artist - Daniel Blochwitz
ArtistsMeeting at Conflux Festival NYC
Artists Meeting - Public Exhibition Space @ Conflux Festival NYC
Interventions in Privately Owned Public Space
Downtown Manhattan - District 1
September 11 - 14, 2008
Brought together by chance, circumstance, and a common purpose, Artists Meeting members gather in person and via technology. Free of commercial influence, participants draw on each other’s expertise to refine concepts, further experimentation and engage each other in collaboration. Artists Meeting members participating in Public Exhibiton Space include Leesa & Nicole Abahuni, James Andrews, Daniel Blochwitz, Eliza Fernbach, G.H. Hovagimyan, Thomas Hutchison, Christina McPhee, Mayuko Nakatsuka, Raphaele Shirley, Maria João Salema, Lara Star Martini, Abigail Weg, Lee Wells and Edita Zulic.
Artists Meeting, a light hearted group of artists who have been working together for two and a half years, is presenting a series of performance / interventions in the POPS Plazas of the Financial District in Lower Manhattan. The Artists Meeting Project titled “Public Exhibition Space” is part of a larger Arts Festival called Conflux that is taking place downtown Sept. 11 - 14th. POPS plazas (privately owned public space) are plazas which real estate developers have created over the years to receive special favors from the city such as a tax abatement or the approval to build a much higher building than zoning allows. The POPS spaces have recently come under scrutiny in the press because many of the owners have reneged on their agreements and privatized the spaces making them inaccessible to the public. (see: New York Times, Real Estate Section, BIG DEAL; Home Sweet Home on the Plaza, By JOSH BARBANEL, Published: December 17, 2006) and (New York Times:NEW YORK REGION / THE CITY | May 25, 2008 East Side: A New Study Faults Plazas as Public in Name, Private in Look By GREGORY BEYER)
For more information and a detailed list and map of Conflux Artists Meeting related interventions, performances and events please goto the AM website at: http://www.artistsmeeting.org
About CONFLUX
Starting September 11th, over one hundred local and international artists will transform New York City streets into a laboratory for exploring the urban environment at the Conflux Festival. Located in Greenwich Village at the Center for Architecture (a.k.a. Conflux HQ), the four-day event includes art installations, street art interventions, interactive performance, walking tours, bicycle and public-transit expeditions, DIY media workshops, lectures, films and music.
For more information about CONFLUX go to: http://www.confluxfestival.org/conflux2008
Interventions in Privately Owned Public Space
Downtown Manhattan - District 1
September 11 - 14, 2008
Brought together by chance, circumstance, and a common purpose, Artists Meeting members gather in person and via technology. Free of commercial influence, participants draw on each other’s expertise to refine concepts, further experimentation and engage each other in collaboration. Artists Meeting members participating in Public Exhibiton Space include Leesa & Nicole Abahuni, James Andrews, Daniel Blochwitz, Eliza Fernbach, G.H. Hovagimyan, Thomas Hutchison, Christina McPhee, Mayuko Nakatsuka, Raphaele Shirley, Maria João Salema, Lara Star Martini, Abigail Weg, Lee Wells and Edita Zulic.Artists Meeting, a light hearted group of artists who have been working together for two and a half years, is presenting a series of performance / interventions in the POPS Plazas of the Financial District in Lower Manhattan. The Artists Meeting Project titled “Public Exhibition Space” is part of a larger Arts Festival called Conflux that is taking place downtown Sept. 11 - 14th. POPS plazas (privately owned public space) are plazas which real estate developers have created over the years to receive special favors from the city such as a tax abatement or the approval to build a much higher building than zoning allows. The POPS spaces have recently come under scrutiny in the press because many of the owners have reneged on their agreements and privatized the spaces making them inaccessible to the public. (see: New York Times, Real Estate Section, BIG DEAL; Home Sweet Home on the Plaza, By JOSH BARBANEL, Published: December 17, 2006) and (New York Times:NEW YORK REGION / THE CITY | May 25, 2008 East Side: A New Study Faults Plazas as Public in Name, Private in Look By GREGORY BEYER)
For more information and a detailed list and map of Conflux Artists Meeting related interventions, performances and events please goto the AM website at: http://www.artistsmeeting.org
About CONFLUX
Starting September 11th, over one hundred local and international artists will transform New York City streets into a laboratory for exploring the urban environment at the Conflux Festival. Located in Greenwich Village at the Center for Architecture (a.k.a. Conflux HQ), the four-day event includes art installations, street art interventions, interactive performance, walking tours, bicycle and public-transit expeditions, DIY media workshops, lectures, films and music.
For more information about CONFLUX go to: http://www.confluxfestival.org/conflux2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Deborah Kelly and Martha Rosler
On Saturday night, I attended the opening reception of my friend and fellow fleas member Martha Rosler at Mitchell-Innes & Nash . Although I couldn't stay for too long, I was impressed by Martha's exhibition, Great Power. It included a batch of new anti-war photomontages, binders with newspaper clippings about the current war in Iraq, a huge moving prosthetic leg, a dance arcade game, and a turnstile at the entrance. The latter, prevented me -- at first -- to enter the exhibition, because I had no cash on me. Eventually, I had to beg for a quarter at the front desk. Martha's "show-and-tell" in the online edition of the New York Times (09/05/08): Cut and Paste.
Another friend of mine and member of the fleas, Deborah Kelly, has been invited to bring her Beware of the God project to the Singapore Biennale 2008. Deborah's work is incredibly smart and engaging, or as a press release from the Biennale states, "watch out for Deborah Kelly’s transient projection, Beware of the God, which demands that we ponder our realities and beliefs while encountering a moment of wonder and discovery."
Another friend of mine and member of the fleas, Deborah Kelly, has been invited to bring her Beware of the God project to the Singapore Biennale 2008. Deborah's work is incredibly smart and engaging, or as a press release from the Biennale states, "watch out for Deborah Kelly’s transient projection, Beware of the God, which demands that we ponder our realities and beliefs while encountering a moment of wonder and discovery."
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