Creative Council

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2010-04-27T20:26:00.001-07:00

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(Nothing But) Flowers.

2009-01-28T21:38:00.000-08:00

Photo via the wonder that is C-Monster's

I am diggin' this photo of Creative Time alum Jim Hodges' 1996 piece No Betweens at SFMoMA, even though it shows an adult museum goer behaving badly. I highly recommend clicking here to get the full effect. Wicked. Beautiful. Man, I loved the sculpture Hodges did for Creative Time back in 2005. Unrelated, but not: The color scheme for No Betweens really reminds me of the print Fred Tomaselli did for CT.

Oh, hello. We rule.

2009-01-20T23:05:00.000-08:00

We're Number One! We're Number One! Er, um, We're Number Two! We're Number Two! OK. We're both. (Personality crisis. You got it while it was HOT!) Artnet just reported that Creative Time was given both the 1st Place and 2nd Place award by the International Association of Art Critics (USA) for Best Show In A Public Space. 1st went to David Byrne's Playing the Building, and 2nd Place went to Mike Nelson's A Psychic Vacuum. No surprise here. Rediscovering reality always rules.

In Motion.

2009-01-20T22:28:00.000-08:00

NY1 did a really nice piece on Bill Brand's Masstransiscope. It's a great place to see the painting animation in action. Or, of course, you could just jump on the Q train.

Things Fall Apart

2009-01-20T22:17:00.001-08:00

Damn right they do. Creative Time hero Paul Chan, in collaboration with NOLA-based The Front, is in the group show Things Fall Apart at Winkleman Gallery curated by painter, blogger, and general kicker of ass Joy Garnett. The appropriately-timed exhibit centers around, well, the center not holding so much. Yeah. I know. We've a new president. That's great, but it doesn't mean we're not totally screwed for the long moment. So, after draining that last celebratory pint (which I'm assuming will be a few days from now.) head over to Winkleman and remind yourself that this shit is real.

Ooh. Mandatory listening . . . a gallery talk was given on Saturday by Chan + The Front and you can listen to it here.

And the owl? Oh, hello. It's a drawing by Paul Chan, and for 5 bucks you can enter the raffle to win it. Proceeds will benefit The Front. What's not to like about this? Nothing, I say. Not a thing. Jump on it.

With Or Without You.

2009-01-06T21:39:00.001-08:00

Hey Hey Glossolalia star Genesis P-Orridge seems to be on a bit of a roll lately. I posted about the new PTV album a couple posts ago, and barely had a chance to turn around before there was another must-have that hit the shelves. The mighty Period Tapes has released the cassette A Reading From The Swiss Institute, dedicated to Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge. It's filled with grief and the confusion and certainty that often accompanies it. A life listen.

Pulse.

2009-01-06T20:45:00.000-08:00

photo from the NYTimes

Creative Time, always on the pulse. Sometimes twice. The recent refurbishment of an early CT project, Bill Brand's Masstransiscope brought the work back into the Times on New Year's Day. It was difficult to not think of the mirror of hard times that the piece represents. Love among the ruins.

Take The Q.

2008-12-16T20:43:00.000-08:00

Nice post over at Oly's Musings about a Creative Time project from 1980, Bill Brand's Masstransiscope. Besides Olympia's enthusiasm we're also treated to a YouTube video. And additional treat (?) is her observation that the timing of the piece's refurbishment is utterly appropriate given our impending return to 1980's subway conditions. Awesome.

Note to self . . . Must. Take. Q. Train.

Shameless Self-Promotion.

2008-12-16T09:59:00.000-08:00

EJ Hauser

This post is all about me, your friendly Creative Time blogger, Brent Burket. Well, OK. Me, six artists, and a gallery. I curated a show, Unbreak My Heart for PLUTO Gallery that will run through January 18th. It's practically around the corner from the Brooklyn Museum. You should go, because quite frankly, it RULES. The artists all brought it with a vengeance. Do enjoy.

The idea:
Bad shit happens, like, constantly. Quite frankly, I'm surprised we all aren't in cardiac arrest by the time we're 8. I'm not tipping you to anything new by pointing out that most of us make it past childhood, grow up, and drag our "long black bag" of heartbreak along for the ride. There are plenty of ways to lighten the burden though, and one of them is to look at art. (Therapy also helps. LOTS of therapy.) Every once in awhile I'll come across art that reverses the damage done, at least a little bit. I knew when I was offered this show that I wanted to include artists who have provided me with those moments of "unbreaking". You know how it works. The world slows down and you can almost feel the shards coming back together (Blondie style), the sinewy shreds of tissue reconnecting (David Lynch style). We just have to keep our eyes open and our hearts on the block. It's gonna be alright. At least for this moment.

The artists:
Rosanna Bruno

Beth Gilfilen

Kate Gilmore

EJ Hauser

Robert Schatz

Luke Whitlatch

Some installation shots:
Click here.

Have Mercy. La La La La.

2008-12-15T21:27:00.001-08:00

I came across this feature article on the now defunct Radar magazine about Hey Hey Glossolalia star Genesis P-Orridge (Hat-tip: afc) the other day. Like so many things P-Orridge it's a sad, beautiful tale with it's own rhythms and slant melodies. There are some great photos of Genesis, as is evidenced above. Related . . . I'd also recommend running out (And I mean, like, NOW.) and picking up the new Psychic TV album, Mr Alien Brain vs. The Skinwalkers. You could buy the CD, but you'd be missing out on the gorgeous marbled black and clear red vinyl (Plus there's 3 bonus tracks not on the CD.). Hungry and sad, the album stalks the past and future for the sake of somehow making it through the present. I've owned it for about 6 hours and I'm pretty sure that this is gonna be one of my favorite albums of the year. Yes, Mr/s. P-Orridge, I do trust you now.

BONUS: The most underrated Psychic TV album of the 90's? Easy. That would be Kondole.

Flickr.

2008-12-15T18:45:00.000-08:00

Photo via Trish Mayo on flickr.

The ever-cool Brooklyn Museum flickr pool has a number of photos from Gilbert & George's 44 1/2 run. If you're not familiar with the BMA's flickr pool, you should be. The museum invites any and all to post their museum-related photos on the site. As I've stated here about a thousand times before, one of the things I like best about the Times Square projects is the visual juxtapositions that occur. I mean, where to start? Gentlemen's Club? Locker? I heart ugly? Navy for moms? The god of chance was smiling wide on this one, kids.

UPDATE: I just remembered. I found this on a link from the Brooklyn Museum's blog. Check it!

See Change.

2008-12-14T20:07:00.000-08:00

Photo: Jennifer S. Altman/New York Times

Creative Time family members Mike and Doug Starn are featured in the Times today. Their ambitious project for the MTA, See It Split, See It Change I first heard of this insanely great idea when Creative Council did a studio visit with Mike and Doug back in 2007.

There's a fun moment in the article when Arts for Transit director, Sandra Bloodsworth as saying, "We believe in building it for it to be there forever, without any intervention by man." Which is kinda brilliant (unintentional or not) since the work of the brothers Starn always deals with forever, or at least the lack thereof. Time is an animal, kids.

Old.

2008-09-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

Anybody who's serious about public art should watch this . . . NOT. It's a pretty unintentionally hilarious segment on public art by, um, Andy Rooney. God help him. He's talking about painted cows. No wonder the old boy doesn't like art in his square. You'll be shocked to learn that he didn't like Richard Serra's Tilted Arc.

via Eyebeam's reblog via C-Monster

Ongoing.

2008-09-14T21:29:00.001-07:00

image via the NYTimes

Every year in the week before Tribute in Light appears I can see them testing the lights from my window in Cobble Hill. I was happy to see that The City Room in the Times wrote a little piece about the yearly retooling of the lights. The piece also goes on to talk about the need for financing that has arisen as the lmdc funding winds down. The best part, however, is saved for last . . . the comments section. The healing continues. Amen.

Like Humans Do.

2008-09-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

It's been a kick to see that so many people YouTubed Playing The Building. I spent a little time trolling around to see what was out there. People really loved this show. I mean, I'm not surprised, but still, it's nice to see. Here's the main search link but don't miss "Thomas at Playing the Building", "granny playing the building", or the video in which Lou and Laurie play. Very sweet.

Last Day.

2008-08-24T22:57:00.000-07:00

These two women seemed so happy playing the building that I'm going to post three photos of them. They had the joy thing down. And I love that dude in the first pic looking up into the sound.

And here are just some more pics from the last day of the installation. Whew. What. A. Run.

Wrapped in plastic . . .

Rip-Off Artist.

2008-08-24T21:58:00.001-07:00

The mechanized tableau Steve Powers' Waterboard Thrill Ride doesn't last very long so like most things in Coney Island you feel vaguely ripped off. But there's something really wrong with wanting to see more when it comes to watching simulated torture. The piece is perfect in that way. It takes you in, if just a little bit. It makes me ill that we need to have art about this, that there even is a this. This is so depressing. We are the rip-off.

Comment of the day went to the gentleman pictured above. When I asked him what he thought of the piece, he answered like a slightly bemused Grandpa Munster, "It's OK. It's what they do down there, you know."

"Sponge Bob's Built For Waterboarding."

2008-08-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

Photos: Sam Horine for ArtForum.

Steve Powers The Waterboarding Thrill Ride has been getting a boatload of press lately. There are a few more links I know about, and I'll be adding them soon. In the meantime . . .

CNN

NPR

WaPo

ArtForum Diary

NY Post

Take It To The Top.

2008-08-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

Um, this is fucking AWESOME. Via Gothamist, Mayor Bloomberg plays the Battery Maritime Building. The mayor continues the tradition of city employees jamming on the building that was started by the similarly famous, JEFF THE BUILDING KING (DOB).

Drowning, Not Waving.

2008-08-15T04:58:00.000-07:00

Razorapple posted a NY Post video of Steve Powers' The Waterboarding Thrill Ride. Awesome, but geez we're fucked up.

Hold Me Closer Than That.

2008-08-15T04:44:00.000-07:00

JIM HODGES, Double Portrait: The Artist and His Mother, May 2008, 2008

Our champ Anne Pasternak has curated what looks to be a whopper of a show, Intimacy, out in the Hamptons at The Fireplace Project. Just one more thing that proves how much ass she kicks. Seriously. Look at this roster. Ricci Albenda, Nayland Blake, Kerstin Brätsch, Sophie Calle, Peter Coffin, Ann Craven, Tara Donovan, Tracey Emin, Tony Feher, Spencer Finch, Ceal Floyer, Lyle Ashton Harris, Sharon Hayes, Jim Hodges, Jamie Isenstein, Matt Keegan, Wolfgang Laib, Sol Lewitt, Glenn Ligon, Malcolm McLaren, Donald Moffett, Not Vital, Adam Putnam, Ugo Rondinone, Frances Stark and Guido Van Der Werve.

Overwhelming much? Yowza. Git on the Jit.

Drowning, Not Waving.

2008-08-05T22:52:00.000-07:00

This just in before the Ambien kicks in . . . An article in today's Times about Steve Powers' latest project for Creative Time in Coney Island, Waterboard Thrill Ride. Surf's Up! Democracy is DOWN!

Happens, That Everything.

2008-07-29T01:19:00.000-07:00

Screengrab, moi.

Thrilling news from Creative Time double-alum David Byrne. He's been collaborating with Brian Eno again, and a release, Everything That Happens, will be coming at us in August. Oh. My. God. Wait. Let me say that again . . . He's been collaborating with Brian Eno again. Thankfully you're pinching me. See the announcement, listen to the gorgeousness floating in the background, and sign up for your own free song now!

#3

2008-07-28T22:06:00.001-07:00

Dove into the Shallow again. Hit my head. Couldn't have been happier.

I love how much this sliver of RGB in the intro reminds me of that superfun participatory Creative Time project by Gunther Selichar, Who’s Afraid of Blue, Red and Green from back in 2004. That shit was dope.

This is just a nice split between artist and title.

This has nothing to do with the art, but check out the dude jumping onto the top of the tour bus. They mean it when they say, "Hop On. Hop off."

How great does the safety barrier frame the bottom of this shot? Kind of excellent how they reflect the deadness of the subject's eyes on the screen above.

"I don't wanna talk. I just wanna go back to blue." I wonder if McLaren planned to match the the background in Shallow #3 with the blue of the dead sign just above the screen. Who cares. This is beautiful.

Heh-heh. Sometimes, grapes are just awesome.

Like, A MILLION Times Better Than Murals.

2008-07-27T22:01:00.000-07:00

One of my art world heroes is Roberta Fallon of Philly-based artblog fame, and she's written a nice piece on David Byrne's Playing the Building and Olafur Eliasson's The New York City Waterfalls for Philadelphia Weekly. Here's the link.

Seriously. Do You?

2008-07-27T21:05:00.001-07:00

We all know that one of my favorite Creative Time alums is Marilyn Minter so I was well chuffed when I saw that she was all over this week's TimeOutNY. Lots of visuals and a nice bit of time traveling back through Minter's body of work with Howard Halle. Sweet.

Duck Rock.

2008-07-27T20:59:00.001-07:00

Malcolm McLaren's Shallow for Creative Time @ 44 1/2.

Words couldn't possibly add anything to this photo, so I'm just going to shut up and link to one of the greatest records of all time.

Blog Inside A Blog.

2008-07-14T20:54:00.001-07:00

When I stopped at Smack Mellon in D.U.M.B.O. the other weekend I came across a sculpture that had a familiar style. I wasn't quite sure why at first, but then I remembered an artist I'd seen when Creative Council took a field trip to Williamsburg last spring. When I went to check the artists' book to see if my instinct was correct I came across my blog post (See crappy image below.). Voila. I was right. It was the artist Petra Kralickova whose work we saw at Black & White. What a kick. We're everywhere.

Blast.

2008-07-08T21:11:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite pieces from The Dreamland Artist Club was the backdrop that art collective Dearraindrop did for THE SPIDER. Dearraindrop has a show up in Philly right now and it (Surprise surprise.) looks like quite the knockout. Roberta Fallon was smitten. I was envious. Of both her AND Philadelphia.

And, um, if you're at all interested in art world tomfoolery you should check out PIFA's website. Heh-heh. Industrial strength.

Photos by Roberta Fallon

Constant Shallowness Leads To Evil.

2008-07-07T22:14:00.000-07:00

"They've finally figured out how to get people to watch commercials for 24 hours a day."
--Robyn Hitchcock, regarding MTV in SPIN magazine, 1985

In 1984 Brian Eno released the video Thursday Afternoon. The slooooooooow editing of the piece was a reaction to the growing trend of quick cuts brought to us courtesy of the nascent MTV network. It was difficult not to think of the work when I went to see Malcolm McLaren's Shallow, the inaugural film for Creative Time's new video series in Times Square, 44 1/2.

When MTV moved their studios to Times Square in 1997 they added more action and flash to an already frenetic environment. So here, in the heart of darkness and light McLaren resists the flash by slowing things down. It's not always the speed though. With a nod to the area's history the images have a vaguely filthy B-movie feel to them. The grainy textures of the film stand in stark contrast to the speed of lights. Righteous.

Note that you can download the McLaren's soundtrack on the project site. The music is like an updated version of Duck Rock reimagined by the late Esquivel. It skims along the surface like the images that it was made to accompany, like the hordes moving past it. No depth.

And one last thing. I just gotta say . . . HELL YEAH! Creative Time is back in Times Square.

Public Art On Public Television.

2008-07-06T13:45:00.000-07:00

DO NOT MISS tonight's 9PM rebroadcast of WNET's excellent documentary, The Waterfalls: Making Public Art. The title is a little misleading in that it's scope is way wider than it implies. While the Public Art Fund's NYC Waterfalls is the centerpiece of the doc (sort of), our beloved Creative Time's Playing the Building also takes a prominent role. Better yet, the show's secondary focus is on the twin histories of both public art organizations. If you do have the misfortune to miss the rebroadcast here's the link to watch it online.

Here's something great and goofy that happens when you photograph your TV: You catch the fades between shots. Here's our hero Anne superimposed with two Creative Time projects. I learned this bit of fun when I shot Andy Warhol and Zoe Strauss.

Press Play.

2008-06-19T21:25:00.000-07:00

Actually, if you hit that Play button nothing will happen. It's just a screengrab from Hustler of Culture where you'll find Xeni Jardin from BoingBoing TV talking with artist David Byrne.

Here's a bucket and a bushel full of other links about Playing the Building . . .

Roberta Fallon on Fallon & Rosof's Artblog. There you'll also find links to Roberta's sister Cate's videos on YouTube.

The npr story.

Rob Harvilla in the Voice.

Joe Bendik in NY Press.

Justin Davidson in New York Magazine.

C-Monster!!!

Pitchfork TV

More Song About Building, Pt. 2.

2008-06-03T16:30:00.001-07:00

The crew at Creative Time seems to have a knack for finding great old buildings and exploiting them in the service of art. Previous wonders The Plain of Heaven and A Psychic Vacuum and, presently, David Byrne's Playing the Building have opened the doors of buildings that hadn't seen the light of our eyes in a long, long time. As strong as the art has been it's always been an exhilarating side thrill to peer into history through the portal of these unlocked spaces.

More Song About Building, Pt. 1.

2008-06-02T19:36:00.000-07:00

Here's the first set of my pics from David Byrne's Playing the Building. In a word . . . AWESOME! This'll be the first in a series of what will be three posts. Next up . . . building pics. And lastly I'll post some thoughts that go a little deeper than "AWESOME!". But seriously, it really is. Press play.

Who Sings You?

2008-05-29T22:44:00.000-07:00

David Byrne on the NYTimes online front page

The recently damaged David Byrne will be launching his much-anticipated project for Creative Time, Playing the Building, on Saturday. He talks about it in his online journal here. The Times is psyched about it here. And, of course, I'm psyched about it HERE. Here's a list of things to prime the pump. I can't necessarily explain some of them, especially The Kinks' song. I've been trying to read as little as possible about the piece so this list comes more from intuition and past experience than anything. Really. I'm not really sure what I'm doing here. But that's OK.

Listening and remembering:
Brian Eno, Discreet Music
Francisco Lopez, Building [New York]: Listen. Remember.
Fear, "New York's Alright...If You Like Saxophones,"
Joey Adams
Tom Recchion, I Love My Organ
Oskar Sala, My Fascinating Instrument
The Kinks, "Oklahoma U.S.A."
Afternoon Penis
Scott Walker, "Farmer in the City"
Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Dempster, Panaiotis, Deep Listening
Spire or Spire.
Trisha Donnelly from The Plain of Heaven

On a totally personal note:
Pearl Harbor & The Explosions, Pearl Harbor & The Explosions
Toure Kunda, Natalia
Robert Fripp, Under Heavy Manners
David Byrne, "The Revolution"

Multiplicity.

2008-05-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

The Collected Multiples of Cary S. Leibowitz, a survey of the collected multiples of Cary S. Leibowitz opened last week at the much beloved Printed Matter in Chelsea. Leibowitz is a Creative Time multi-alumnus and winter cap king. I haven't seen the exhibit yet, but I'm betting that it will kick my (Candy)ass. Why you would miss this show is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me is beyond me.

Coast-to-Coast.

2008-05-29T19:58:00.001-07:00

Via the nearly legendary C-Monster I learned that Eve Sussman's The Rape of the Sabine Women is going to be getting it's west coast premiere at SFMoMA. Lucky coast.

What Becomes A Billboard Most?

2008-05-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

Legends do. This made my day a couple weeks ago. A series that started as signage ends up on a tee-shirt that lands on a sign. Art is awesome and confusing. The best lie in town. I mean that in a good way.

And can I say how much I love how perfectly the reflected saw horses match the shoes? I think I just did.

The Memory Band.

2008-05-22T20:15:00.001-07:00

Director Matt Wolf (on left) and coproducer Kyle Martin. (Photo: Dawn Chan via Art Forum)

Came across a post today on Art Forum Diary about the premiere the new Arthur Russell documentary, Wild Combination. The filmmaker looked kind of familiar then I remembered that it was former Creative Time video fellow, Matt Wolf. Cool. There are a couple other Creative Time connections to Russell as well. 2001 Art in the Anchorage musician/composer Phil Niblock made the incredible 1986 film, Terrace Of Unintelligibility, which featured Russell. And a quick search of the Creative Time archives revealed that Arthur Russell himself participated Art in the Anchorage 8 in 1991.

Worlds In Collision.

2008-05-05T20:51:00.001-07:00

No, I'm not talking about the most underrated Pere Ubu album of all time. I'm talking about two things I love in very different ways: Creative Time and (Hold for it . . .) David Patrick Columbia's New York Social Diary. The latter is the only obsession I have that's weirder than the one I have for The Hills. In my regular check of NYSD over the weekend it was a kick to see Creative Time's benefit gala get the full DPC treatment. The link is here. Scroll down for the pics. (Above, the scene. Below, the seen.)

Um, Rock Star Much?

2008-03-31T19:00:00.001-07:00

Our beloved Anne Pasternak all dolled up like Christ in last week's New York Times Magazine.

Shadow Play.

2008-03-18T21:47:00.001-07:00

William Kentridge's 59th Minute installment, Shadow Procession, was running when I passed through Times Square on Sunday. The black and white images played in sharp contrast against the bleeding lights of Times Square magnifying the weight.

Cover Versions.

2008-03-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

Recently I came across two Creative Time alumni on magazine covers. The amazing Os Gemeos, of The Dreamland Artist Club fame, is on the cover of BOMB. And inside the magazine they're covered by another CT alum, Vic Muniz. Um, awesome.

Diamanda Galas has Creative Times 80's and 90's covered, and proves her enduring ass-kicking cred by appearing on the cover of this month's Terrorizer, the extreme Metal magazine. Hell, yeah. Double barrell prayer, indeed!

Explosion In The Sky.

2008-02-22T10:41:00.001-08:00

It was a rainy night . . .

No. Really. It was. It was rainin' like a mofo. And the pouring started just moments before Cai Guo-Qiang's Light Cycle went off in 2003. This Creative Time project still burns brightly in my brain. One of the things that I loved most about it was that it was so NOT what people expected. I think that people went to the event to relive some kind of 4th of July memory. Bad move. Light Cyclewas very much about the present, about exploring the beauty of that moment. In some ways it reminded me of Song Dong's mesmerizing exploration of the temporal in Times Square in 2005.

It would be easy to say that the weather didn't cooperate, but I'd take issue with that. I'd say that the low ceiling of the sky added to the beauty. It contained the light in an unexpected way. That containment seemed to intensify the afterimage imprinted directly onto the back of my skull. Thank you big dark cloudy sky.

Why am I mentioning this now? Cai Guo-Qiang has a retrospective opening at the Gugg tomorrow, and I have a strong feeling that it just might rock. Here's Roberta Smith's review from the Times today.

See Spencer. Yeah!

2008-02-11T20:15:00.000-08:00

Forget all the great top 10 lists that Creative Time projects made this year. We got a shoutout from the ever-excitable MAO in the process of him going all appropriately apeshit about Spencer Finch and his upcoming project for Creative Time, The River That Flows Both Ways. Notice I didn't say OVER-excitable. Chairman MAO's got mad taste so it's always an honor to get some praise from his corner.

On a related note, while poking around the Googlesphere I came across a connection that Finch has to another Creative Time alum . . . choreographer William Forsythe! Finch did a light installation for Forsythe's Three Atmospheric Studies in 2005.

Oh, and extra bonus points big time to those of you who got the Burning Star Core reference in the title of this post! Plus, I love you.

Art Where I Least Expected It.

2008-02-06T20:59:00.001-08:00

This isn't a Creative Time project, BUT it certainly was something that made me think of their motto, "Art Where You Least Expect It." I came across this handmade note in an issue of Art In America last month. I posted something about it on my art blog, Heart As Arena. A couple weeks later a friend of the note slipper found his way to my blog via the Creative Time blog where he saw the picture of his friend's name. That nicely drawn circle here. The internet is too cool.

This Is Why.

2007-12-07T12:36:00.000-08:00

Take Away.

2007-12-05T21:59:00.000-08:00

When I arrived at the work the other day I found a bottle of A Psychic Vacuum on my desk. Seriously.

A co-worker of mine lives around the corner from the Essex Street Market, the site of Mike Nelson's installation. She's lived there for 20 years, which meant that she brought more personal history than most to her experience of the project. Wondering for all that time what might be on the other side of those walls, A Psychic Vacuum was almost a relief for her. And yet, what her interaction with the space might have been was deliciously expanded--and maybe even contracted (but in a good way)--by Nelson's distortion of the site. While some things were obscured, others that might have been overlooked received her full attention. Whatever he did, it worked. She loved the installation so much that when she was passing by after it closed and they were cleaning it out, she asked if she could take a little bit of the sand with her as a keepsake. And apparently, as a gift. Sweet.

Outtake.

2007-12-04T20:07:00.000-08:00

When I was reading up my hard drive over the holiday train ride I came across this photo from this year's Art Parade. Well, actually, from just above the Art Parade. At any rate, I had to post it. Obviously.

Ensemble.

2007-12-04T13:19:00.001-08:00

Jim Hodges' the bells/black

There's an ass-kicker of a show at the ICA in Philadelphia right now, Ensemble, curated by Christian Marclay. Of the 27 artists, 7 of them are Creative Time alumni. What a kick . . . and a boing and a ding and a plink. My review of it can be found over at the new, but mighty, ArtCal Zine.

Creative Time artists include . . . Terry Adkins, Doug Aitken, Jim Hodges, Dennis Oppenheim, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Carolee Schneemann, and Yoshi Wada.

Doug Aitken's K-N-O-C-K-O-U-T

More Waiting.

2007-12-03T21:55:00.001-08:00

Photo by Lee Celano for The New York Times

Waiting for Godot in New Orleans has brought out the best in some of the writers bearing witness to it. I know. "Bearing witness" seems a tad heavy-handed, but, well . . . that's what it feels like when I read these reviews. Holland Cotter was the latest to join the chorus in yesterday's Times. I'm a fan of Cotter's, both for his writing and the spirit behind it. He really outdoes himself here though. This quote especially caught my attention:

"But Mr. Chan also wants to try out--everything is a tryout--a new story, as have other artists, Beckett among them, who feel they are living in a time of moral emergency."

It reminded me of something I had read just the day before in the The Believer's interview with Ai Weiwei:

"For those actors and directors who produce films which are always about the old kingdom or about heroes, you know about the fantasies related to the classics, but there is no real discussion about today's life and no discussion of the real conditions--which is really sickening."

It made me think of how Paul Chan and The Classical Theatre of Harlem's production stands in direct opposition to the artistic crimes to which Weiwei refers. As for the "moral emergency" Cotter mentions, I think that the Times scribe will be happy to see some of the upcoming projects that Anne Pasternak was talking about last night at the Creative Council holiday party. Let's just say that they'll be continuing down this path of looking very closely at where we're at, and what we've become. As the great Earth & Stone once sang, "False rulers of the world./They might beget a beating."

Leftovers.

2007-11-25T20:19:00.000-08:00

I had a lot of extra time on the train over the holiday, so I was going through old photos. I came across a few unposted pics from that insanely great studio visit that the Creative Council did with Marilyn Minter back in March of 2006. Yowza. Considered this the unreleased demos or something. Or just consider it me being bored on the train. It's up to you.

The Lean.

2007-11-24T19:42:00.000-08:00

Does this promo shot for Dirty. Sexy. Money. look like a still from Doug Aitken's Sleepwalkers or what?

We Wait.

2007-11-23T19:08:00.000-08:00

Illustration by Riccardo Vecchio

That's the title for Hilton Als' short, but incredibly touching review of Waiting for Godot is in the latest issue of the New Yorker. It's online here. This is the closest I've gotten to being there. A wonderful little bit of writing.

On a related note, don't miss the photos that Creative Time recently posted here the performance and the path to it.

Granted.

2007-11-19T17:14:00.000-08:00

Image by Zoe Strauss

I was thrilled to find out that my dear pal Zoe Strauss was awarded one of the Agnes Gund Fellowships from United States Artists Glee was added to my thrill when I clicked the link on her blog and discovered that Creative Time hero,Paul Chan, was also awarded a fellowship. I can't think of two artists more deserving. It seems entirely appropriate to be mentioning Chan and Strauss in the same breath since both have created powerful work related to the (CONTINUING) aftermath of Katrina.

When The Night Shows.

2007-11-13T10:11:00.001-08:00

When the flood calls,
You have no home, you have no walls
--Peter Gabriel

Estragon (J. Kyle Manzay) and Vladimir (Wendell Pierce). (Photo, Donn Young)

Artforum Diary just posted a heartfelt rave about Waiting for Godot in New Orleans. I know that I'm just their blogger but could I possibly be prouder of Creative Time? I think not. This work is right at the heart of why I love them. Right. At. The. Heart.

The Rebirth Brass Band. (Photo, Frank Aymami)

(Pause. Vehemently.)

2007-11-07T21:40:00.000-08:00

I got an email from Creative Time yesterday with some links regarding Paul Chan's Waiting for Godot in New Orleans. I am sooooooooooo sorry I missed this. I will regret it for the rest of my life. Here's the Time's Picayune feature on the project. Here's there account of the performance. And here's the NPR story. Even Jesus wept. It's too bad He wasn't smart enough to smite George Bush's sorry criminally-neglectful death-worshipping Bible-licking ass while He was at it. And that pretty much sums up my reaction to this. Tears, then a seething fury. No hope.

But that's not what this is about. It's about reflecting the experience of the victims of Katrina and the Bush administration. It's about connection. It's about surviving. It's about somehow going forward, even when you can't move. Know hope, I guess.

CT in the NYT.

2007-10-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

Photo by Charlie Samuels

Roberta Smith's review of Mike Nelson's miracle of an installation, A Psychic Vacuum, was in the NYT on Friday. I haven't said much about it here because the less you know about it upon entry the better. I've been through it about 5 times and it continues to surprise. The biggest treat, however, has been going through with people who haven't been through before. Delicious.

Philly Love.

2007-10-03T22:44:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post some links to one of my favorite art blogs ever in the history of art blogdom, Philly-based Roberta Fallon & Libby Rosof's Artblog. In one way or another Creative Time has been showing up there. In a post by the pretty damn wonderful Andrea Kirsh, the art historian visits Mike Nelson's A Psychic Vacuum, and then later takes a look at Creative Time alum Zhang Huan's retrospective at the Asia Society. In another post Libby Rosof hits the opening for Creative Time friends and faves Mike and Doug Starn's show at The Print Center.

Temporary Beauty.

2007-10-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

First of all, a couple hundreds points if you got the Graham Parker reference in this post's title. Don't miss curator Nato Thompson's excellent article on Chicago's ass-kicking Temporary Services in the latest issue of Art On Paper.

Sing Into My Mouth.

2007-09-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

Roberta Smith's piece in the Times today is essential reading for anybody interested in the relationship between artist and institution, but that's not why I'm posting about it here. In the midst of her article is a paragraph that, for my money, goes to the center of why public art is so important. Money quote:

"Although museums still focus most of their energy on finished works that they believe should be shown or collected, they now routinely function as patrons, using their budgets to help artists create works from scratch. They have happily become producers because these days installation artworks are often crowd pleasers, circuslike in their appeal. Viewers gasp at their scale or their sensational optical effects, as with Sleepwalkers, the Doug Aitken video display on the Museum of Modern Art’s facades last winter."

There you have it. The moment the light gets in. Shall we count the times over the years that, their mouth agape, some unsuspecting gawker finds themselves unexpectedly moved by public art. We usually think art is going to enter through the eyes, but that's not always the case. Sometimes it sings into our mouths, and it's a love song.

Last, But Not Least.

2007-09-15T21:50:00.000-07:00

Here are my final photos from the Art Parade.

And I don't think this was part of the parade, but . . .

More Parade.

2007-09-12T20:21:00.000-07:00

Look! It's the annoying guy in the blue shirt again.

Work it, JD.

The power of panda.

NOLA in Bushwick.

2007-09-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

Deborah Fisher

In New Orleans-related activity around town, I highly (SUPER highly, actually) recommend Second Line at Ad Hoc. This is the last week for it so get yourself out there. It's an easy ride on the L, and the subway isn't even a block from the gallery. I go off on its goodness here.. The artist that turned me onto this show is sculptor Deborah Fisher. She says very nice things about Creative Time and Paul Chan here.. You should totally bookmark her blog. It kicks ass! Required reading for anyone interested in public art and sculpture. For real.

Downtown.

2007-09-11T21:16:00.000-07:00

Art Parade! Part 1!

2007-09-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

Art Parade goodness and lots of it. More to follow.

Hellsies!

Where's Ralph Waldo Emerson?

In Print.

2007-09-05T10:21:00.000-07:00

Steve Powers

King of The Comet, Steve Powers, provided a excellent illustration for Daniyal Mueenuddin's excellent short story in The New Yorker a couple of issues back. The studio of HAA and Creative Time faves, Mike and Doug Starn, was featured in the Times recently. (We got there first! Ha!) And lastly but not leastly, in Sunday's Times, there was an article on the recent painting and sculpting output of Creative Time legend Zhang Huan. Oh, man. This is gonna be good.

Zhang Huan

Space Out.

2007-08-29T06:25:00.000-07:00

Photo by Fred R. Conrad/ The New York Times

Nice article on the artist who looks most like my cousin without all those years of jail time and truck driving behind him, Mike Nelson, and his Creative Time project in today's Times. This is so gonna rule.

Trojan Horse.

2007-08-13T21:47:00.000-07:00

Studio visit with nice guy artist Tom Otterness.

Did you hear that? It was the sound of the last big cartoony shoe dropping in my mind.

Hearing Tom Otterness talk about his work, I finally and totally caved in. I was always a little afraid of going all the way with my liking of his sculptures, but he's one subversive dude, and the truth is I like the work. I like his abuse and adulation of the cartoon form. I like how he puts anti-capitalistic ideas into the heads of children and helpless adults. I like the bronze. Mad stealth, right out in public.

This Is Why Events Unnerve Me.

2007-08-01T23:15:00.001-07:00

The title of this post comes from the beginning of Ceremony, the first song ever released by the band, New Order. The band rose from the stunned ashes of Joy Division after their singer, Ian Curtis, killed himself on the eve of what was to be their first American tour. To this day, nobody really understands the act. Curtis had written the song with his band before he died. His band mates, like the rest of us, were left with the music.

I only met Jeremy Blake a couple of times. I never knew him beyond introductions. I do know this though. His art opened as many doors in my heart as there are in the Winchester Mystery House, the storied building that Blake based his Winchester trilogy upon in 2005. I went to a Creative Time benefit where the artist was premiering his recombinant mixdown of the trilogy, Winchester Redux. I was immediately entranced by the work and Blake was eloquent and charming as he spoke about it with Creative Time director, Anne Pasternak.

It's the first time that video broke through the canvas to find me. I would often hear artists and critics talk about video art as a "moving painting," I would look at the art and think, "Nah. It's a video. It might be beautiful. It might be brilliant. But it's a video." Not so with Jeremy Blake's work. It made the leap.

I was so excited about the work that I paid a visit to Feigen Contemporary that weekend, Blake's gallery on 20th Street. I had met one of the gallery's directors, Lance Kinz, at the benefit. I reintroduced myself to him and we started talking about Blake's videos. Obviously thrilled to find a wild-eyed enthusiasm that matched his, Lance invited me downstairs to show me other videos that the gallery had in their possession. He left me alone in the room and I fell into the same spell that I had experienced a couple days before. After I worked through the videos, there were c-prints and drawings. I could not possibly get enough of this. I'll never be able to thank Lance enough for his generosity and guidance that afternoon.

I also I realized that I had, in fact, seen one of Blake's pieces before, in the 2004 Whitney Biennial. Inspired by the writings of the 60's fashion designer, Reading Ossie Clark, was an intensely beautiful work that carried a sense of sadness. The work took the viewer back to that moment when unbridled excitement and a creeping dread were crossing paths in the '60's. It was the only video work in that Biennial that had demanded my presence for its entirety. I remember. I watched it twice.

I never missed another chance to see Blake's work when it was in town. As part of a group show at Apex Art. His solo show, Sodium Fox, at Feigen in 2005. And finally, just a couple nights before he walked into the ocean, I saw Cowboy Waltz in Times Square as part of Creative Time's 59th Minute retrospective. Nobody knew how hard that sun was setting.

So here I am--here we are--left with the work. The work doesn't have to discover a love of 12 years dead at home. It doesn't have to take one last breath. It doesn't swallow the sea. The work stays here, with me--as Bernard Sumner sings at the end of Ceremony,--"Letting me know, forever." All I can do now is be grateful for Jeremy Blake, his art, and all the doors he left open.

Draw The Line.

2007-07-17T18:49:00.000-07:00

First of all, bonus points comin' atcha if you caught the reference to the most coked-out album ever made. Anyway, I just came across this interview with former Creative Time curator Peter Eleey on the ever excellent Walker blog. Seriously, kids. You need to bookmark this blog. It kills on a regular basis. It's fascinating to see Eleey and his interviewer, Paul Schmelzer, draw the lines between here and there. Many nice things are said about Creative Time.

Confusion.

2007-07-16T20:03:00.001-07:00

"The thread won't divide us, the sensation survives" --New Order

I went to see art tonight and a protest (and the requisite counter-protest) broke out. Between 6 and 7 pm Creative Time celebrated seven amazing fucking years of The 59th Minute. I trust deeply in the art of chance, especially when it comes to this series. This is why.

Mark Titchner

Twofer.

2007-07-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

Creative Time: The Book essayist Linda Yablonsky has a nice piece in the Times today on Creative Time alum Chris Doyle and his new video project, 50,000 Beds. The project looks amazing and the writing is . . . well . . . it's Linda Yablonsky so what's not to like. And, if you like to watch, here's a totally yummy interactive site for the project where you can do just that.

"Nothing Is Perfect."

2007-06-28T18:06:00.000-07:00

Creative Council did a studio visit last night with Mike and Doug Starn at their cavernous studio in Red Hook. It was incredible to see so much of the Starns' work--past, present, and future--in one place. It was a kick to follow the thread of light that runs through it all, to see the reflections (literally and figuratively) bouncing around the room. The veins of the leaves and the architecture of the snowflakes. How everything is connected and not touching at the same time. How two things, however "identical", are never the same. The acceptance and exploitation of the basic fact that nothing is perfect. Nothing. Even the light that fills the space between. How everything is as incomplete as most of the sentences in this paragraph. That is, at least, until we enter it. Until we bring it home, together alone. See. Still not quite there, are we?

Studio Prep.

2007-06-25T20:41:00.001-07:00

Since Creative Council will be doing a studio visit with Mike and Doug Starn on Wednesday I thought that this might be a good time to post some links about the last two times the brothers Starn kicked my ass. Here's two pic-heavy posts from their amazing show at Wood Street in Pittsburgh last summer . . . 1, 2. And here's my post on Fallon & Rosof's Artblog about their show at Castelli in 2005.

King of Be.

2007-06-25T19:50:00.001-07:00

For their 33rd anniversary Creative Time is running a retrospective of their 59th Minute series. I came to the series late so it's been great to catch up on one's that I missed. The other week when I stopped by they were playing Mary Lucier's Monarch.

Limbic.

2007-06-24T20:22:00.001-07:00

In the June 17 issue of New York Magazine, Jerry Saltz included Ugo Rondinone's air gets into everything even nothing & get up girl a sun is running the world in the list of his favorite public artworks in NYC. It has to be one of the most tree-heavy Top 5 lists anybody outside the arboriculture community ever assembled. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Especially when one of the other tree-themed works is Dubuffet's Group of Four Trees on Chase Manhattan Plaza. I swear, I'm going off on that piece about every other week.

Creative Time: The Book Party.

2007-06-24T19:45:00.001-07:00

Photo by Nancy Smith.

Nancy Smith of Art Lovers New York posted pictures of Creative Time's book party at Printed Matter. If you don't know Smith's site, you should. Bookmark that puppy.

And here are some more photos of the party on the CT site. No pics of me, man. I was in Philly for the weekend for Zoe Strauss's amazing I-95 installation. Nothing could make me miss that.

Hungry Ghosts.

2007-06-24T19:21:00.001-07:00

The only thing that bums me out about this post is that I wasn't the one to find it. I would love to have seen this accidental reemergence of Sleepwalkers. Yael sent me these photos, and I have to say that I'm happy that somebody found them. It's kind of great how the characters are looming over the skyline. It's as if the walls of MoMA weren't enough. They've transmogrified into something bigger and hungrier and more mustachioed than ever. I also like how that big tear at the bottom makes the text say, "Promote Youness." Decay and Destruction are so much smarter than we'll ever be.

Talk Talk Talk.

2007-06-24T18:50:00.001-07:00

Oh, and speaking of interviews with Anne Pasternak, there's another one on Artkrush, and it's fucking excellent. And thank ya for the shout out, Ms. Anne. She rules. And I gotta agree with her about that Zhang Huan performance. That was on of the most crazyass things I've seen in my life, and I've got nothing but love for my memory of it.

Jingle Jangle.

2007-06-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

As I was saying. Creative Time . . . always on it with the organ action. Check out that fierce jingle.

I Love The Passing Of Time.

2007-06-24T18:01:00.000-07:00

In May Anne Pasternak and David Byrne were on The Brian Lehrer Show to discuss Creative Time's 33rd anniversary celebration and everything that led to it. Byrne also spoke about his upcoming project with Creative Time. Regarding the latter, Creative Time always does well when an organ is involved so this should be good. Listen to the interview here.

Field Trip Williamsburg.

2007-05-02T22:07:00.000-07:00

Creative Time curator Mark Beasley led Creative Council around Williamsburg on Saturday. Much goodness ensued. And I finally remembered Cynthia's name, well almost pretty much like.

At Pierogi, Ati Maier's paintings were in the front room and Kenneth Shorr's video was in the back. Can I say how much I love this gallery? Truly pioneers on the Williamsburg scene. Not just in when they appeared, but intheir approach to their support of artists. Over the years they've found a number of ways to get out the news about what caught their fancy. Their flat files are legendary, and with good reason. I can't tell you how many times those files have rescued me from a bad Williamsburg trip. There are delights and surprises in every drawer. For new collectors I highly recommend spending some time in Pierogi's flat files. Dig in.

At Black & White Gallery owner Tatyana Okshteyn introduced the artists Rebecca Herman and Mark Shoffner, and Petra Kralickova. I've always loved the outside space behind B&W, and Herman and Shoffner put it to good use. There was something about the beautiful day that made the piece even more chilling. Sadly, a piece for our stupid "Have we really progressed?" times. That we were so easily able to get touristy with it just made it weird, and, well, very much of our times. Petra Kralickova's sculptures inside the gallery didn't grab me immediately, but then I noticed a detail, sand, at the base of the work at the back of the gallery that led me into the work. Granular synthesis if you will. (Sorry couldn't stop that reference.) A beautiful exploration of weight, space, and restriction.

Jack The Pelican Presents. I've never known what to think of Jack The Pelican Presents. And somehow that works nicely towards the whole enjoyment thing. Just go and trust the essential madness of the gallery, from space to eye. JTPP owner Don Carroll entertained us with his refreshingly candid view of the art world before setting us loose on the art. Natalie Lanesse's show reminds me of a show that I'd see at Space 1026 or the semi-late Black Floor Gallery in Philadelphia. Trust me when I say that this is a very, very good thing. If you don't know what I'm talking about then you need to get yourself down to Philly. There's really no excuse at this point (Says he, breaking into a scold.). Chris Domenick goes for Baroque in the back gallery. Always much to be found in the back room/office at Jack The Pelican Presents as well. Don't cha miss it.

Everything Is Wrong.

2007-05-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

I went up to Times Square to catch Eve Sussman's 59th Minute on its last day. OK. I have to say, I don't know what the hell happened here as far as the framing goes. I know. It's usually pretty amateur in the first place, but this is, like, drunken cracked out amateur. And I don't have the excuse of the sauce or the pipe. At any rate, the art and the images that surround it deliver as usual. No surprises here except the surprises.

I seem to have caught edge of the frame on this shot BUT I couldn't resist the combination of "SPENDING GROWTH SLOWS" + "YAHOO!" + "Be a Better Tourist." Accidents will happen . . . constantly.

This frame scares the hell out of me. Not "scared" the hell out of me . . "scares". Present tense. Everything is wrong.

Bottle. Neck.

Kind of great how Sussman's work is matching the Michelob commercial in the minute.

On the ground.

'Nuf said.

Heh-heh. And they thought they were getting pictures of the big bottles of Budweiser. Art suckahs.

"33"

2007-04-30T21:22:00.000-07:00

Memory is now. There was a nice article in the Times' NY/Region section about Creative Time's One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This, Creative Time's celebratory plaquing of the city. Sorry to those who were misled by the header into thinking that I was going to reveal the mystery of the Rolling Rock beer label.

Above photo by Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times

Luckiest Guy On The Lower East Side.

2007-04-18T21:04:00.000-07:00

Creative Council did a gallery hop on Saturday afternoon led by one of Creative Time's new curator's Nato Thompson. Thank goodness. I felt like the luckiest guy on the Lower East Side. I have to admit to being really limited in my knowledge of LES galleries. Now I have no excuses.

Renee Green's overwhelming show at Participant, Inc. was a great way to start the afternoon. Overload, baby. Crushing and not quite gone.

Creative Council member Zoe Chan getting comfortable at Participant, Inc.

The next stop was Cuchifritos where Yoko Inoue's collaboration with Bennington students was equal parts confusion and beauty. I bought art for 25 cents. It was in a gumball machine. Life was good.

The top of Stephanie Caplan's head and the art above it.

We made a little side trip. Incoming. That's all I'll say.

I had a spatial deja vu when we walked into Orchard. I later figured out that it was in the space that used to house the much-missed THROB Records. Orchard is against. Somebody has to be. Their show, On The Collective for Living Cinema, surveys a delicious and painful tipping point in cinematic history. Essential viewing.

Last stop . . . Dexter Sinister! Damn. The best 3 shelf art book store on the planet. Crucial. When you walk in just give them your wallet and be done with it.

How To Rock.

2007-04-16T20:18:00.000-07:00

I'm a regular visitor to New York Social Diary (Who isn't? DPC totally RULES!), so I'm not sure how I missed Charlie Scheips' interview with Creative Time board member Joanne Cassullo. How wonderful is she?

Photo of Joanne Cassullo and Charlie Scheips from NYSD.

Creative Time In America.

2007-04-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

The new ~~Creative Time~~ April issue of Art in America is on the newstands now. Eve Sussman's The Rape of the Sabine Women is the cover story. There's also a piece on Doug Aitken's Sleepwalkers. Last, but not least, is an insightful article on Michael Rakowitz's Return by Brian Boucher that had me all wet-eyed on the train.

I never really said anything here about Return. It was almost too much to take in, and it's path through me was a crooked one. I wasn't quite in the mood for conceptual art the first time I saw Rakowitz's store on Atlantic Avenue, but I know better so I went back a number of times and with every return it gained steam. Sadly, part of the reason it did so was because of how perfectly the piece--in ways that the artist might or might not have anticipated--mirrored the historic damage we've inflicted on Iraq and its people. (Read the details on the project's blog here.) The AiA article also talks about Rakowitz's amazing show at Lombard-Freid that dealt with all of the art and culture that's been lost in this ~~premeditated~~ preemptive lunacy. It was an unbearably sad affair somehow balanced by a sense of the absurd. Smoke on the water is right. Fuck.

Good Advices.

2007-04-15T19:39:00.000-07:00

NY Arts posted the Creative Time staff's top ten favorite websites. Follow the fun. Big ups to the CT crew for turning me onto Frank Haine's blog. I'm down with anybody who references Diane DiPrima, Kevin Drumm, and Klaus Schulze. That's all kinds of Hell Yeah. Plus, it's where I found the above photo.

Blue Lines.

2007-04-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

"Once something is done, it cannot be undone."
--Sol LeWitt (1928-2007)

I found this quote regarding his wall drawings on Creative Time's Plain of Heaven site, the 2005 exhibition to which LeWitt contributed one of his board clearing wall drawings. It was one more generous work in a lifetime of generous works. In fact, I don't think that I've ever had a conversation with someone who knew LeWitt personally where the word "generous" didn't make an appearance. Although, when the word was used it was always in reference to his qualities as a person. The generosity in the work was a given. His work and his life are done now, but neither will be easily undone. His line. It goes on.

Below. The scarf that Sol Lewitt donated to Creative Time as an art prize in Coney Island for the Dreamland Artist Club

Art Star.

2007-04-06T07:35:00.001-07:00

What a nice surprise when, on my regular visit to Artforum Diary, I came across this photo of Creative Time's own Maureen Sullivan (right) with MoMA's Cara Starke (left). We always knew that she was cool and socially significant, but now it's official. This is just the beginning for what will be--without a doubt--"The Year of Maureen." She will rock you.

For Real.

2007-03-26T20:48:00.000-07:00

At lunch the other day I walked over to the Ritz-Carlton to see Ugo Rondinone's lovely cast aluminum tree sculptures, air gets into everything even nothing and get up girl a sun is running the world. I was immediately confronted with the question "What is real?" Surprisingly, it wasn't the art that first asked the question. There was a preemptive conceptual strike by the real trees lining the space that still had Christmas lights wrapped around them. Seriously. What is real? My job was done here.

And can we just pause a moment and groove to those great titles? We're talking worthy of a God Speed You! Black Emperor song titles. Tilt your head back and sing it low with me now. air gets into everything even nothing. get up girl a sun is running the world. air gets into everything even nothing. get up girl a sun is running the world. air gets into everything even nothing. get up girl a sun is running the world. Hell, yeah.

Already a tourist favorite.

Creative Time Tunnel.

2007-03-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

My friend Sheri emailed me with an item she came across on the Brooklyn Record site about a piece of public art at the Myrtle Avenue subway station. Look familiar? Turns out that it's the Masstransiscope, a project that Bill Brand did for Creative Time in 1980. It was nice to see this bit of history emerge with CT's 33rd anniversary coming up. They've got legs and they know how to use them.

The Brooklyn Record post included a link to an article from the day before in the Metro about the history of the work and Brand's desire to refurbish the piece. It was especially touching to read about how Brand still--to this day--gets calls and emails from people who were affected by the work. Resonance, baby.

Hat Head.

2007-02-21T20:44:00.000-08:00

Cary Leibowitz--of Creative Time winter hat fame--is at it again with a Fabulous (with-a-capital-F) show of paintings and multiples at Alexander Gray in Chelsea. These Fran Drescher Fan Club hats are just the beginning in a show that charms and then penetrates its way into the heart. Suddenly you realize that Leibowitz's finger is on your aorta. He's trying to save your life, and it kind of tickles. What more can you ask for?

Sleepwalkers, Night 28

2007-02-12T23:34:00.000-08:00

Heart full. Arena bursting. Words have left the building.

The pics below aren't great but I had to post them, because they contain one of the last discoveries I made while viewing Sleepwalkers. Well, actually . . . to be honest, it's something that was pointed out to me by Jeff Manzer (aka The Building King). Look at the space behind the mostly-intersecting walls of MoMA and you can see the back of the neighboring church. I've looked into this corner for 24 nights over the last month and I'd never noticed this architectural duet.

Sleepwalkers, Night 27

2007-02-11T21:48:00.000-08:00

I have to say that it's just been wonderful to see so many people checking out Sleepwalkers this weekend. Heartwarming.

Some nights the garden becomes so still sound seems to disappear and a sense of reverence comes down. Maybe it's a reverence for the open secret that Aitken has hit upon. Everybody knows that what they're seeing is beautiful, but it ain't pretty. It's us.

Sleepwalkers, Night 26

2007-02-11T11:23:00.000-08:00

Art, in public.

Sleepwalkers, Night 25

2007-02-09T23:49:00.000-08:00

Tonight I saw it with a friend who had grown up here. Because of Sleepwalkers connections to Times Square it was interesting to hear her accounts of the place from when she was growing up. Necklace snatchings right in front of you. Walking with keys-as-daggers at the ready hidden in the palm of your hand. You know, the stories. I think that it might actually be more dangerous now, but in a different way. You don't need to stick your keys between your fingers, but that doesn't mean that you're not going to be assaulted.

Sleepwalkers, Night 24

2007-02-08T23:46:00.000-08:00

But just lately seeing you
I rise a.m. off pink sheets
I am renewed
I am aglow
--The Fall

I wasn't expecting two things tonight.

First I found a song that worked with Sleepwalkers. I absent-mindedly left my headphones on when I walked up to the museum, and The Fall's Bill Is Dead was playing on my iPod. Serene, rumpled, and happy sad it rolls forward into its day. Although less neutral than Aitken's film generally, the song worked perfectly with the daydream sequences. At least for a minute. Ah, the illusion of safety. The song ended and I was ready to return to the only soundtrack that really works, the city.

At any rate, this discovery was entirely appropriate. The Fall's new album, Reformation ! Post-TLC, will be released on February 12th, the last night of Sleepwalkers. This will soften the landing for me.

The second surprise of the night came in the garden when I burst into tears. I've seen this 22 times and that hadn't happened before. I've been moved, but not to this extent. It was unexpected and sad, but mostly it was just overwhelming and beautiful. The combination of an abstract segment that brings 9/11 to mind followed by the postal worker dreaming was too much. Something in the way she moves. Something in the way things are falling up and coming down at the same time. Fuck.

Bonus tracks. Some pics from across the street in front of the CBS building where you can view the projections on the facade and in the parking lot at the same time.

Sleepwalkers, Night 23

2007-02-07T21:19:00.001-08:00

I've all but stopped taking pictures now. "I'm in the milk, and the milk's in me."

I was asked today why I liked Sleepwalkers so much by a friend who wasn't liking it so much. Responding was a good exercise in reviewing what I've seen and felt since the beginning of the installation. Some of these things I've mentioned before, and some of them I'll be discussing here soon.

1. I like repetition, generally.

2. I like how repetition isn't really repetitive. (Says he as he repeats himself. Yet not quite, which proves my point.)

3. I like all the reflections that happen within the work, obviously and especially in the garden.

4. I love the cups. They make me think of Chardin.

5. I like the there/not there performances. I think that there's something very post-9/11 about them. For some reason I don't think that it was intentional.

6. I like the clocks that fill the screen at 6 o'clock every night when the church bells are ringing. Again, not intentional. This one I've asked Aiken about. He had no idea that it happened like that.

7. I like the occasional night when it feels more like a sound work than a visual piece.

8. I like the different grids that divide the images.

9. I don't see the design of the piece as a problem. I think that it's essentially cool. I think that that augments the distance that is part the work. I've heard other people mention the "corporate" nature of it, but I don't quite get that. It's all too slow for that. You couldn't sell shit with this thing.

10. I like the hole it's going to leave behind.