shark senesac

Truck stop treasure map

2011-10-25T01:49:00.000-04:00

Plain, after all

2011-10-08T20:54:00.003-04:00

Forgetting forward

2011-10-08T13:54:00.003-04:00

Between frames.

2011-09-16T19:28:00.000-04:00

Idyll: Stephen Wirtz Gallery

2011-09-09T19:20:00.006-04:00

Creek, Sanata Rosa

Lary Sultan 2007

2006_03zI0016 (Monk in Woods)

Alec Soth 2006

Stephen Wirtz Gallery curates an admirable show (August 4th-September30th) of contemporary works from Mike Brodie, Jim Goldberg, Todd Hido, Justine Kurland, Melanie Pullen, Doug Rickard, Paul Schiek, Alec Soth, Larry Sultan, and Catherine Wagner.

A Mural

2011-09-01T17:53:00.000-04:00

The Pacific

2011-08-04T03:05:00.002-04:00

Other people's work

2011-08-03T01:32:00.000-04:00

Wes Kline

I love owning other people's work. It's so inspirational to see framed and finished images on a daily basis.

To insist on concession

2011-07-30T22:00:00.002-04:00

The Fable of Failure in Modern Art

2011-07-19T02:05:00.006-04:00

.......The sense of artistic failure echos throughout the chambers of modernistic fiction. In a famous passage of his great novel, Proust has the fictional novelist Bergotte ponder his entire oeuvre with a negative judgement on himself when he looks at Vermeer's View of Delft. 'That is how I ought to have written...last books are too dry, I ought to have gone over them with a few layers of coulour, made my language precious in itself, like this little patch of yellow wall.' As in Balzac and James, the painter's art is the mirror in which the writer sees the reflection of his own flawed work. The painter clarifies the writer's self-doubt, his sense of imperfections, his inability to make a masterpiece....

Paul Barolsky 1997 The Virginia Quarterly Review

Janusian coincidence

2011-07-15T03:00:00.002-04:00

Doug Rickard: A New American Picture

2011-07-10T01:46:00.003-04:00

Stephen Wirtz Gallery, San Francisco 2011

Using Google Street View, filtered through a lens nodding towards Evans, Eggelston, Shore & etc. Doug Rickard's A New American Picture retains much of the 20th century American documentary aesthetic in which he intends to evoke. However, a provocative line is drawn between the fundamental rhetoric of truth which was historically being sought and the reality of what is presented. With a sea of candidly surveyed landscapes available to Rickard, his images of urban outskirts are stitched together with a kind of voyeuristically pointing-finger too tired for a narrative, albeit veraciously unveiling enough to garner a seemingly new way to look at America.

Stephen Wirtz Gallery, San Francisco 2011

San Francisco, California

2011-07-09T23:29:00.004-04:00

Looking at architecture

2011-07-02T14:48:00.005-04:00

An image of two friends and Alcatraz.

2011-07-01T00:29:00.003-04:00

Unrelated, oddly enough.

2011-06-30T22:59:00.001-04:00

Lost in the Funhouse: Ambrose His Mark, John Barth

2011-06-29T02:23:00.007-04:00

" Grandfather's victims had not been long discovering their fresh affliction, for the bees' docility was spent. Where the cluster fell, none knew for certain, but on impact it had resolved into separate angry bees. There was a howling and a flurrying of limbs. Konrad and Willy Erdmann scrambled apart to flail like epileptics in the grass. Grandfather rushed in batting his hands and shouting 'Nien, lieber Gott, sting Willy just!' Only Mother made no defense; having swooned from one fright and wakened to another, she now lay weeping where she'd been dumped: up-ended, dazed and sore exposed.

But whom neither pain nor the fear of it can move, shame still may. The bees were already dispersing when Methodists reached our fence; at sight of them the principals fell to accusation.

'Stole my swarm and sicked 'em on me!' Erdmann hollered from the grass.

'Bah, it was my bees anyhow,' Grandfather insisted. He pointed to Andrea. "You see what he done. And busted the hammock yet!' "

2011-06-27T21:43:00.001-04:00

Mount Sutro San Francisco, Ca

2011-06-26T04:57:00.004-04:00

I have been using Google satellite to find dense forrest areas within San Francisco city limits (7x7milesx809,000people) to make Nature Photographs- tomorrow Mount Sutro San Francisco, CA.

Oak

2011-06-26T04:05:00.002-04:00

San Francisco, California

2011-06-24T09:32:00.003-04:00

2011-06-23T01:08:00.001-04:00

2011-06-19T10:30:00.003-04:00

Left, and a little less left- a plot of grass and a tree.

2011-06-18T01:31:00.001-04:00

The interaction with a static object becomes an insinuated distinction between two seemingly none distinct images while smoke screening a more complex relationship between text and image. A sketch concerning a curiosity around how text can shape perception and alter intention.

Probable Rhetoric

2011-06-17T01:55:00.005-04:00

The Conspiracy of Art: Jean Boudrillard 1996

The illusion of desire has been lost in the ambient pornography and contemporary art has lost the desire of illusion. In porn, nothing is left to desire. After the orgies and the liberation of all desires, we have moved into the transsexual, the transparency of sex, with signs and images erasing all its secrets and ambiguity. Transsexual, in the sense that it now has nothing to do with the illusion of desire, only with the hyperreality of the image.
The same is true for art, which has also lost the desire for illusion, and instead raises everything to aesthetic banality, becoming transaethetics....

San Francisco, California

2011-06-02T23:36:00.002-04:00

San Francisco, California

2011-05-30T15:41:00.002-04:00

San Francisco, California

2011-05-26T21:20:00.006-04:00

2011-05-24T21:49:00.005-04:00

Passage: Sequence

2011-05-23T23:12:00.002-04:00

//2008

Upper Room

2010-05-27T00:06:00.004-04:00

When the light is so perfect one doesn't even desire to see if the grass is greener.

Sarah Dreams of Summer,

2010-02-26T00:19:00.002-05:00

Working For A Nuclear Free City.

Don't forget to remember not to forget.

2010-02-23T02:04:00.002-05:00

Repetition.

'The Floating Opera' John Barth

2010-02-02T23:56:00.002-05:00

No, come along with me, reader, and don't fear your weak heart; I've one myself, and know the value of inserting first a toe, then a foot, next a leg, very slowly your hips and stomach, and finally your whole self into my story, and taking a good long time to do it. This is, after all, a pleasure-dip I'm inviting you to, not a baptism.

The Ashcan School

2010-02-01T23:43:00.003-05:00

Robert Henri

A darker impressionism for a brighter world.

Take your hands off the wheel.

2009-05-12T01:30:00.001-04:00

Time Code Installation

2009-05-02T16:31:00.003-04:00

Ronda Storms: Right-Wing Rebel in Search of a Cause

2009-04-19T00:31:00.005-04:00

This post has been borrowed from Edward Winkleman's blog which can be found here, along with the comments users have posted. Aside from a very punctual and informative blog, Winkleman owns a gallery located on 637 West 27th Street New York, NY and the web site corresponding to his gallery can be found here.

Being a resident of Florida my entire life up until about four months ago, I couldn't stop myself from reposting this very complicated issue. While there have been several compelling points made, I still find myself on the fence regarding cause and effect/ motive and agenda. Like most conservatives, Storms structures her argument around fear and ill-intentioned self righteousness- still it is difficult to argue her point.

To our dear friends in Florida. Don't be distracted by the message, focus on the goals of the messenger. After all, that is why she's pulling this stunt, for the political attention it will bring her. The very least you can do is pay her some.

Artinfo.com and Artnet.com both report on a bill introduced by Florida state senator Ronda Storms that is so terribly transparent it would be hysterical if it wasn't playing off the economic fears of Floridians. She's calling to repeal a law that provides funding for art in new state-funded buildings (a half-percent, up to $100,000). Florida is facing a $3 billion deficit and clearly needs to make tough choices. Still, there's a hurricane of opportunism pushing this effort through the legislature.

According to artinfo.com, Storms has said (of the art funding) "This is an example of fat. This is a luxury." and "Do I pay for art instead of paying for care for an abused kid?" It's hard to argue with that. (Although it does make one wonder whether Storms has actually sponsored legislation to strengthen care for abused kids. Anyone?)

But according to Artnet [citing the St. Petersburg Times]:

[T]his is something of a pretext: Storms has a long-time axe to grind with public art: she introduced a failed bill to repeal percent-for-art funding last year, and was decrying the use of public funds for artwork as far back as 2006, when she was a lowly county commissioner.

Indeed, Storms strikes me as the typical wedge issue politician who sees the culture war as her path to power and glory. Artnet explains:

She has supported legislation that makes marriage licenses more expensive for couples who don’t take a mandated "premarital education" course; mandates that women getting first trimester abortions be shown ultrasound images of their fetuses; prohibits the teaching of evolution in Florida schools; and allows "inspirational messages" -- prayer, that is -- in public schools.

Sadly, this time Storms tied her crusade against public funding for art to the public's fear of where the economy is heading (for a Flordian's take on how Storms tends to operate, see this commentator's insights here). Indeed, wherever you find wedge issues in Florida, you're likely to find Storms, it seems. She once infamously "objected to a library's display of books by homosexual authors during Gay and Lesbian Pride Month" because "whether we should have pride in homosexuality is a political perspective." (I suppose it is, but humans might also consider looking at it from, you know, a humanity perspective...but I digress.)

Back to arts funding, though. As one commenter on the Tampa Bay arts blog, Art Squeeze, wondered:

To paraphrase a friend, “doesn’t the omission of art from our public spaces constitute a form of child abuse also?”

I think that gives Ms. Storms' argument far too much credit, but I don't disagree with the sentiment.

Six Years: The dematerialization of the art object, by Lucy Lippard

2009-04-18T12:57:00.002-04:00

I recently came across an interesting conversation in Lucy Lippard's book, Six Years: The dematerialization of the art object (1973). The aforementioned dialogue is between Douglas Huebler, Dan Graham, Carl Andre, Jan Dibbets and moderated by Lippard herself. While the section is rather long to post it in it's entirety, I found a few lines which stuck me as noteworthy.

Carl Andre: I think the object is just a locus, embodying some sort of transaction which is between all those things we are talking about- the reader, the recipient, the sender, the social situation, the art, whatever.

Lucy Lippard: But the experience is different. When you experience an object it tends to be, if not necessarily a static experience, at least more physically involved than when you experience words. Or does it?

Douglas Huebler: I just came in on an airplane and I was thinking about what we were going to do. While I was looking out the window, it hit me that I was measuring off things, that I could see where I had been. I saw the last place I'd stayed, in Brooklyn, and the Statue of Liberty for the first time in all these years, and an area where I thought Lucy, lives. Anyway, I realized I was measuring sense impressions against conceptual knowledge, the conceptual knowledge being maps. I knew that this physical reality could be translated into language or into words that were very much like the words on a map. So as Dan and Carl, I think are pointing out, there is much more flexibility between what is an object and what registers in the head as the experience of the object than the kind of separation that we all seem to be objecting to.

Lucy Lippard: But maybe words are a better vehicle for a certain kind of experience.....

Douglas Huebler: No, not necessarily. Just a recognition that they are perhaps more a part than an embarrassed byproduct, which is what art historians have always made of them.

Something

2009-04-17T01:33:00.001-04:00

Nausea

2009-03-31T12:41:00.003-04:00

A man rarely feels like laughing alone: the whole thing was animated enough for me, but it was strong, even a fierce, yet pure sensation. Then everything came asunder, there was nothing left but the lantern, the palisade and the sky; it was still rather beautiful. An hour later the lantern was lit, the wind blew, the sky was black; nothing at all was left.

Things I Don't Remember

2009-03-30T23:19:00.003-04:00

A photograph

2009-03-28T13:52:00.004-04:00

The LoBot

2009-03-27T22:48:00.004-04:00

Tonight:

At The Lobot- 1800 Campbell Street West Oakland

Doors at 8:00pm

$5.00

Be sure to follow the links attached to the band names above to stream their music and check for tour dates in your city. I'm very excited about Portland, Oregon's Starfucker and Guidance Counselor. How Oakland has pulled this show together baffles me.

Industry

2009-03-27T13:51:00.005-04:00

Young Adult Friction 7"

I'm pretty much in love with the music industry right now. Major labels are still chasing their tails attempting to fight illegal file sharing in hopes of returning to the good ol' days of swimming in cheap and expendable profits from incredibly untalented artists(?). Smaller labels however, continue to offer quality music in ways we are more apt to financially indulge. An incentive, if you will- but don't confuse this with philosophies on supporting actual musicians, though sometimes they do coincide. One such case is Slumberland Records (based in Oakland, CA), recent release of The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart 7" pressing of Young Adult Friction. It's unusual for me to buy 7" singles, as I don't always have the patience to sit around flipping the record after every song- especially if I already have the LP. But, who could turn down a limited pressing on red vinyl from a label so small that when I asked Mike (the owner?) if I could stop by the office and pick up a few things, his reply was, "I don't have an office but I could meet you somewhere for an exchange". I suppose there is a bedroom somewhere in Oakland filled with records and CDs which is Slumberland's current catalog. This is how the music industry should be conducted. Also, on a side note, I'm pleased to see colored vinyl coming back.

Thoughts on things.

2009-03-25T02:13:00.011-04:00

These things,
I assure you
are not ornaments.
They are constitutions
without principle.
They possess a certain
shapeless shadow
unknown to such light.
Fore these things,
they linger
like a willful lament.

Forward motion

2009-03-24T12:03:00.000-04:00

Harmony Korine's, Mister Lonely

2009-03-10T02:00:00.005-04:00

I really wanted to hate this film. In fact, I remember watching the trailer last year and thinking, "What a shame. A film about a commune of celebrity impersonators, this seems terrible." I'm still not convinced that the film isn't terrible. What is certain, is that Mister Lonely, like Gummo(1997) and Julien Donkey-Boy(1999) is structured around a split narrative with completely unrelated, coupled plots which ultimately coalesce into one underlying idea. Outside of aesthetic this is where his films hold my interest. Korine wastes no time in laying out the fundimental direction the film will take. Within the first few minutes, Michael Jackson (played by Diego Luna) explains that he has assumed the role of Michael Jackson. He is not an impersonator; the idea being that he would then become an impostor which is what he is trying to escape- his own blurred sense of self. The point to be noted here, is Korine's seemingly witty, yet sad pun being played on the behalf of the actual Michael Jackson.

The impersonator utopia comprised of everyone from Abraham Lincoln to The Pope, to The Three Stooges, to Buckwheat, all share this common sense of transcended self-identity. As a whole, Korine approaches this factitious commune as a social refuge for freaks. This all sounds so familiar. There is of course an entire secondary story line which is worth discussing, however the film is just packed with material I can't see a beginning or an end. I will say though, that it does involve flying Nuns. I'm guessing Korine has been sitting on a lot for the past nine years.

Rainbow Arabia 02.28.09

2009-03-05T00:10:00.003-05:00

Things I Don't Remember

2009-03-04T22:43:00.012-05:00

The First Day

Seagull - Coincidence 1

Goodbye, Columbus- Coincidence 2

Thinking of You

Bring on The Dancing Horses

Oakland Hills

2009-03-04T16:59:00.005-05:00

While I'm working on finding an affordable place in the city, the view from my roof top is still quite nice!

And so it went

2009-02-26T21:05:00.005-05:00

"So how was the trip?"

"Well, I loved the shit out of it. I think the Jesus stations started to get to old Tina."

"Oh, you noticed that," she says."

"You got the best fuckin' Jesus stations up here, man. Except for maybe Alabama. This guy was like interpreting and everything? All this completely addled shit Six Sixty-Six? All that stuff. He was gettin' into it."

"I would even listen to Howard Stern," she says.

"Hey, that your rig? Nodding at Willis's truck. "I'm fuckin' impressed."

"You've seen that," says Willis.

"No way. Last time you still, had that Honda piece of shit."

Tina extricates herself, slams the door (big American Ka-thunk) and comes around the front with a purse sized Bert-and-Ernie bag slung over her shoulder.

"I help you guys carry anything?" says Willis.

"Carry your hostess present if you want." Champ walks around and twists a key in the trunck lock. "Here, back here." But Tina's hugging Willis (he feels liquidy breasts, smelly dirty hair) and saying, "Ooh, it's nice to see you."

"Here" Champ's holding up two six-packs of Budweiser tallboys by the plastic. "Replace those essential minerals." He always gives shit about Sportif; the good way to read this is that champ agrees flacking for Dandineau Beverages is beneath him. Champ meanwhile, is clerking at the Counter Spy Shop.

Brian Ulrich, Dystopia

2009-02-26T01:11:00.005-05:00

Value City

Brian Ulrich &copy& 2008/2009

Currently on exhibition at the Robert Koch Gallery in San Francisco is a group show entitled Dystopia (clever choice of name and compilation of work given the current state of the American economy) . One of the artists' work being shown is Chicago based photographer Brian Ulrich, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at the Miami Art Basel in December of 2007. I have seen Ulrich's work on a few other occasions, and as always the images were beautiful and presented themselves nicely among the other artists' work. Value City and Target (no photo of the image) are from a new series called Dark Stores, which I am very eager to see the whole body of work when it's either completed or posted on his web site.

Philip Roth's, Goodbye, Columbus

2009-02-22T19:06:00.002-05:00

In his first collection of published works entitled Goodbye, Columbus, (comprised of six short stories, 1959) Philip Roth unveils a progressive position taken by young Orthodox Jews as they acculturate themselves in a much more liberal and western society than their parents and grandparents have known. Many of the characters face struggling situations involving religious laws which place their stance on the Jewish religion in question. Often these characters' seemingly narcissistic agendas simply pan out as a youth's rebellion against outdated religious constraints. Having read much of Roth's later works first, Goodbye, Columbus in retrospect certainly foreshadows his notoriously self loathing and confusingly lonely antagonists.

Dear Brenda:

I don't even know how to begin. I have been crying morning and have had to skip my board meeting this afternoon because my eyes are so red. I never thought this would happen to a daughter of mine. I wonder if you know what I mean, if it is at least on your conciseness, so I won't have to degrade either of us with a description. All I can say is this morning when I was cleaning out the drawers and putting away your summer clothing I came upon something in your bottom drawer, under some sweaters which you probably remember leaving there. I cried the moment I saw it, and haven't stopped crying yet. Your father called a while ago and is driving home because he heard how upset I was on the phone.
I don't know what we ever did to you should you reward us this way. We gave you a nice home and all the love and respect a child needs. I always was proud when you were a little girl that you could take care of yourself so well. You took care of julie so beautifully it was a treat to see, when you were only fourteen years old. But you drifted away from your family, even though we sent you to the best schools and gave you the best money could buy. Why should you reward us this way is a question I will carry with me to the grave.
About you friend I have no words. He is his parents' responsibility and I cannot what kind of home life he had that he could act that way. Certainly that was a fine way to repay us for the hospitality we were nice enough to show him, a perfect stranger. That the two of you should be carrying on like that in our very own house I will never in my life be able to understand. Times certainly have changed since I was a girl that this kind of thing could go on. I keep asking myself at least you didn't think of us while you were doing that. If not for me, how could you do this to your father? God forbid Julie should ever learn of this.
God only knows what you have been doing all these years we put our trust in you.
You have broken your parents' hearts and you should know that. This is some thank you for all we gave you.

MOTHER

Taken from Goodbye, Columbus

A Poem Without a Single Bird in It by Jack Spicer

2009-02-22T17:05:00.000-05:00

What can I say to you, darling,
When you ask me for help?
I do not even know the future
Or even what poetry
We are going to write.
Commit suicide. Go mad. Better people
Than either of us have tried it.
I loved you once but
I do not know the future.
I only know that I love strength in my friends
And greatness
And hate the way their bodies crack when they die
And are eaten by images.
The fun’s over. The picnic’s over.
Go mad. Commit suicide. There will be nothing left
After you die or go mad,
But the calmness of poetry.

Borrowed from Dead Double.

When we slow down

2009-02-22T16:25:00.001-05:00

I've been rather lazy about taking the time to get my camera out and perpetually shooting photos. Everything has been so fast pasted lately, and even the simplest motion as holding a camera up and pushing a button seems hard to fit in. Anyways, this is a nice view from Eben's roof top, over looking downtown Oakland.

Rainbow Arabia and Yoni Wolf

2009-02-14T16:28:00.005-05:00

Brilliant! Rainbow Arabia, Yoni Wolf and Boy In Static all playing for free at the apple store in downtown San Francisco. February 28th. Last november I drove up to Atlanta (from Gainesville) with a few friends to see Gang Gang Dance and Rainbow Arabia opened. I had never heard their music, or even the name, however they seemed to approach music making in what I would call relieving in the context of electronic music.

A few months ago, Rainbow Arabia put out this EP called The Basta, a little jewel that conjoins a lot of, say, DFA Records–oriented freaky dance grooves ornately draped with some intriguing Middle Eastern polyrhythms. The EP’s a punky mix of ferocious deep-bass synths sync’d with a small army of drum machines and percussion, and Tiffany’s unclichéd Arabic-oriented guitar fuzz and gothlike vocals instantly established Rainbow Arabia as the purveyors of something identifiably by-God new.

John Payne, LA Weekly

I'm eager to see how they are going to follow up each album, as I can only imagine this style could become a bit of a novelty. Though for now it's new and they don't sound like everything else that's out there right now.

Current Work

2009-01-28T04:10:00.003-05:00

Shark Senesac

Show This Friday 11.21.08

2008-11-17T15:40:00.006-05:00

This Friday will be my last show in Gainesville, I'm assuming for good, as I am moving in January. George's Meet and Produce is on the corner of South Main street and SE 5th Ave. If you are driving south on Main it will be on the left hand side of the road- there should be a sign. Hope to see everyone there.....

Again, David Gates

2008-11-11T21:26:00.003-05:00

Early last week I picked up two more books written by David Gates (previously blogged about here) which unfortunately completes my collection of his only three books. Of the two picked up, The Wonders of the Invisible World (a collection of short stories, 1999), and Preston Falls, (the novel proceeding Jernigan, 1998) I've started the short stories which are filled with Gates' familiar self loathing and self destructive protagonists, who end up in the worst situations possible. Still, Gates stands as one of my favorite semi-contemporary authors- If only he'd write a new book....

Back, Finally

2008-11-11T20:33:00.007-05:00

Big box

Workstation

I recently replaced my Apple Quicksilver G4 (RIP 2002-2008) with a new Mac Pro desktop, which to say was long over due, is an understatement. After a couple of weeks without a computer, it's more than nice not having to bike to school to edit work and all the things we do on computers. Also, cell phone internet gets old real quick. This keyboard is incredibly slim and the space bar sticks- none the less quite amazing.

Things I don't Remember

2008-10-21T00:41:00.005-04:00

Root

Sign

Doral

Don Delillo, Falling Man

2008-10-20T09:02:00.006-04:00

Generally, there seems to always a Don Delillo book around that I am reading. Among the many reasons why, the following quote embodies some of my favorite moments in his writings.

"I lift my head from the washbasin," Martin Said.

"Who is that man? You think you see yourself in the mirror. But that's not you. That's not what you look like. That's not the literal face, if there is such a thing, ever. That's the composite face. That's the face in transition."

"Don't tell me this."

"What you see is not what we see. What you see is distracted by memory, by being who you are, all this time, for all these years."

Melanie Schiff, Rainbow

2008-10-19T20:52:00.004-04:00

Melanie Schiff

I often find myself returning to Melanie Schiff's image, Rainbow for her brilliant play on spatial relation. The liquid being spit, along with her specific attention to natural light creates a complex layering between artist, illusion and space. More of Schiff's work can be found here.

Goya's: The Bewitched

2008-10-18T02:15:00.007-04:00

Goya's satiric and theatrical portrayal of the Spanish church (in responce to the play El Hechizado Por Fuera) is by far one of his most engaging general critiques on faith . For one to be so elegant and critical at the same time never seems to elude or bore me.

In The Works

2008-10-18T02:04:00.003-04:00

A still from, Smoking a Cigarette

An Old Favorite: Sebadoh, Rocking The Forest

2008-10-18T01:26:00.005-04:00

Secondhand Rose

2008-10-17T23:00:00.006-04:00

The thrift stores still kinda work.

$0.50

Bummer

2008-10-13T08:52:00.003-04:00

This type of behavior is no longer shocking, just unfortunate.

Kodak 160vc 50 Pack

2008-10-08T12:39:00.010-04:00

Among all other analog photography products which seem to be out of production, namely Polaroid, I'm thoroughly confused as to what happened to Kodak's 50 pack of Portra 160vc. I've been doing some digging over the p

ast few days, and the only thing I can come up with is that:

1. This specific pack is no longer being offered by the big online suppliers.

2. Kodak has cut out their ready load film.

3. Portra 160nc is still being offered in a 50 pack.

4. Portra 160vc is offered in a 10 pack though no longer in the more economical 50 pack.

I've always of 160vc as one of Kodak's best selling film, but it looks as though thats not the case. Still if the actual film is being produced how financially damaging can it possibly for Kodak to cut out the 50 pack?

Current Work

2008-10-07T18:53:00.013-04:00

I was recently criticized on the violent nature of my last sculpture which consisted of a looping 30 minute video of me carving a hole (with a mallet and chisel) into a door. Initially I argued the claim, explaining that she may be misreading what I was thinking about in making the work. Looking back a few days later, I can't seem to figure out why I thought that one's first reading of the piece which began with a sense of violence was such a bad thing. I mean this doesn't change the work or the frame in which it was conceived. The general ideas accompanying the work are not affected if one sees violence, you still reach the same conclusion regardless. Overall the showing was well received and positive praises were coming from all directions.

Mark Manders on Drawing

2008-10-05T23:29:00.004-04:00

I've never really thought of myself as one to comment on drawing, simply because I lack a well informed knowledge of the medium. I know that I enjoy certain drawings and dislike others, although I'm not exactly sure why; I'm okay with that I guess. I found the following passage on Mark Manders' website and felt that the points he made apply not only to drawing but perhaps any medium, including photography.

"For me, drawing is more an investigation of thought than an investigation of observation. Before I've drawn them, the drawings are often as short and compact as thought. It's interesting to look at yourself from the outside as you are drawing and see how the thoughts you portray are partly visual and partly linguistic. The beautiful thing about a drawing is that you can seize it as an image in your mind, but the moment you want to comprehend the image, the drawing becomes spherical, and the mind can no longer illuminate it from all sides at the same time. Drawings are often composed only of a few small gestures on a sheet of paper. All that's left on the page is black powder, which can evoke a special language for the viewer, a language that can touch things that are important in life - all this in a relaxed and free manner. I would like to see my drawings as a spectator does. As a spectator, I think it's interesting to try to retrace the mental process of the person who made the drawing. A drawing is a transparent skin suspended between the artist and the spectator for comparison."

Mark Manders On Drawing

David Gates: Jernigan

2008-10-05T20:37:00.009-04:00

Jernigan (Gates, 1991) is perhaps by far the best piece of fiction I've read this year. Back in March William Rycroft blogged about this book and made an interesting connection between David Gates, Philip Roth and John Updike. I suppose the relation is not as unlikely as it is a rather amusing coincidence given that all three are popular names among my roommate and I. Rycroft's entry can be read here.

The Black Angels to play Gainesville's Common Grounds again!

2008-09-30T13:44:00.004-04:00

Thanks to the fine folk at Jack Daniel's The Black Angels will be playing at Common Grounds in Gainesville for the second time in roughly over two months. The show is free to anyone over 21 and I believe you can get tickets from Common Grounds with the purchase of a shot of Jack Daniel's.

Doors open at 8:00pm 10.02.08

Common Grounds

210 SW 2nd Ave.

Gainesville, FL

Jill Greenberg on John McCain

2008-09-19T02:36:00.004-04:00

Alec Soth Lectures at The University of Florida

2008-09-18T20:56:00.008-04:00

Kristin, Fashion Magazine
Alec Soth © 2007

This morning I woke up and felt I had dreamed Alec Soth was coming to Gainesville for a pool party. How weird of a dream, I thought. Upon scrolling through emails later in the day, I realized I in fact did not dream of such a bizarre event. Apparently I was woken up by an email on my phone, read it half coherently, then went back to sleep. The email read-

" Alec Soth, photographer, will be speaking next Wednesday at 6:15pm. Please plan to attend. Unlike most lectures, the talk will take place in CSE building. There will be a 'pool party' at Barbara Jo's house after the lecture, where hopefully you'll be able to interact with Alec."

I'm not sure what I find more amusing, the odd coincidence of the email, Soth coming to Gainesville, or Soth coming to Gainesville then going to a pool party afterwards. None the less this is going to be a great event. The Visiting Artist Committee certainly deserves a big round of applause.

Update

2008-09-16T23:41:00.004-04:00

For those who have linked up and assuming you have found your way back, I have changed this blog's URL to sharksenesac.blogspot.com.

Rest Assured

2008-09-14T14:16:00.005-04:00

The audience is important.

Pocket Magnets, Front Pockets

David Foster Wallace

2008-09-14T01:25:00.002-04:00

Wallace, ".....was found dead in his California home on Friday, after apparently committing suicide, the authorities said." The full Times article can be found here.

In So Many Ways

2008-07-31T23:40:00.000-04:00

This Might Be Satire

2008-07-30T16:47:00.007-04:00

In an attempt to do a favor for a friend, and a friend of a friend, I agreed to show a few images at an alternative space in Gainesville. Upon arrival I was given two 4'x8' sheets of CDX ply wood to hang on a wall covering primitive (looking) kitsch paintings which I believe were to be some kind of pop bike culture uttering. Regardless. After secreting my weight in sweat while installing 6 photographs in the oven of a warehouse I went home to shower. I felt it was necessary to show up and greet those who may actually come out, only to find a group of faux crust punks wheeling in amps and cabs in preparation to play what was advertised as a punk (is there even a such thing anymore?) rock show. Besides the elderly couple which showed up, I was amused to see someone had stacked equipment not only in front of my work, but physically against it. Touching. Scratching. Smearing. Given the circumstances of the event and how I ended up involved, I still find it difficult not smile in amusement about the whole situation.

Current(ly)

2008-07-19T13:34:00.004-04:00

Susan Sontag Illness as Metaphor
Don Delillo Mao II
David Foster Wallace A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again

I have always been a big fan of scouring as many second hand stores, used music and book stores as possible for hidden gems. Generally you begin to know what to expect and recognize the stale permanent things (collection may be a better term) that simply will never sell. Although from time to time the endless searching will eventually pay off. For example, I found the D.F.W. (pictured above) at Book Lovers Cafe in some odd ball section, completely out of place for $4 in pristine condition. And while I know one can buy the same book from amazon at a similar price (in who knows what condition) it's still nice to "find" things you've been meaning to acquire.

The Residents

2008-07-18T18:22:00.014-04:00

The Residents
Moisture, Act of Being Polite, Perfect Love, The Simple Song
The Commercial Album (1980)

I spent some time writing out a few things regarding The Residents, however I found this F.A.Q. on their website and thought it was much more informative and amusing.

1. Are The Residents a band, or what?
A. I guess I would have to say a "what." The Residents write, record and perform music, so I suppose that kind of makes them a band. However, they think of themselves as a "group" which is not so directly music-orientated.

2. Who is in The Residents?
A. If the question is "what are the names the parents gave to the people making up The Residents," then I would say that those names belong to individuals and not the group. The group doesn't have names within its structure. If the question is the real "who," meaning the philosophy and outlook, then that is all clearly stated in the work. I would find it difficult to summarize.

3. Is it the same people now as the people who started the group?
A. It is exactly the same. However they work with other people all the time and those people may be considered "Residents" for the period of the project or projects. I understand that the number of people who have been in The Residents is probably over a hundred at this point and still growing.

4. How does one get to work with The Residents?
A. It generally is a result of The Residents asking you to participate, or a recommendation to fill a needed role.

5. Why are the people who do The Residents obsessed with being anonymous?
A. They aren't. It is other people who seem to be uncomfortable with their privacy. Say you have a tank of goldfish. Say you have given each goldfish a name. A stranger wanders into your house and sees your tank of goldfish and wants to know who they are. Considering that he is a stranger, you tell him it is a tank of goldfish.

6. Why not just make up fake names, then? Who would know the difference?
A. Most people in show biz have made up names. That is true. The Residents reveal more about who they are by using no name than people who use fake names. But as you can see it is others, like you, who keep asking about names as though that matters somehow.

7. It is common knowledge that The Residents recorded early albums that have never been released. Why don't they release that material?
A. Like any artist, there is early work. But in this particular situation, the first actual release by The Residents was 1974's Meet The Residents. Anything earlier, including Santa Dog, was not by The Residents. But I know what you mean. There are recordings by the people who later became The Residents. Some older recordings were stolen from their studio, mostly unfinished experimental recordings. Also, a demo of material that was sent to Warner Brothers was taken. Most of the recordings were not touched and a lot of the old stuff has been discarded by The Residents at this point. They prefer to not release recordings that they feel do not represent them. This is true for all artists, not just The Residents.

The following is Sebadoh's cover of Act of Being Polite (from the B side of the Princess +3 7" 1996).

Enter:

2008-07-17T22:18:00.003-04:00

Vacuum coffee brewing system (also referred to as- Vacpot, Siphon pot,etc.). So far this is my favorite method of brewing coffee at home.

Word's Worth

2008-07-13T15:07:00.003-04:00

A 'picture' is worth 1,000 words. Who awards such a privilege? Or perhaps injustice for that matter. One would assume anything could be worth something, but then again isn't worth almost impossible to measure? Why not 100 words or 1,000,000 words? Who's counting anyways, right?

Chickentown

2008-06-11T21:17:00.003-04:00

I initially wanted to post a video featuring John Cooper Clarke's song/poem Chickentown, however I found this-

The intended video-

Blu

2008-05-27T18:54:00.002-04:00

Wow

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

The Modern Temper

2008-05-09T21:28:00.003-04:00

I recently picked up this intriguing book by Joseph Wood Krutch titled The Modern Temper (originally published 1929). Though I've hardly put a dent in this compact read on cognitive thought and development, I was moved by a particular passage dealing with creation.

"Nature, in her blind thirst for life, has filled every possible cranny of the rotting earth with some sort of fantastic creature, and among them man is but one- perhaps the most miserable of all, because he is the only one in whom the instinct of life falters long enough to enable it to ask the question 'Why?' As long as life is regarded as having been created, creating may be held to imply a purpose, but merely to have come into being is, in all likelihood, merely to go out of it also."

"......this was not made by Talbot"

2008-04-27T15:58:00.005-04:00

I'm sure the significance of this leaf has worn out all excitement in enthusiasts and people who nerd out on these things by now; however if you have not caught wind of this yet, click here for the full article.

2008-04-25T10:48:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I received my proof copy of a book, I'm making for Andrea Robbins' Portraiture and Documentary class. Everything looks nice, though Lulu tends to print color and document placement inconsistently. A shorter version of the same work will be in a catalog of this year's BFA photography graduates along with an essay written by professor Wes Kline. I'd like to see more of these books, and perhaps start trading!

It Took More Than 9 Months for The Moldy Peaches to Become Popular.

2008-04-24T18:17:00.011-04:00

A few nights ago I watched Juno (written by Diable Cody and directed by Jason Reitman). Low and behold none other than the Moldy Peaches (Adam Green and Kimya Dawson) and their song Anyone Else But You seemed to be the corner stone of the film. The ironic point to be made stems from Jason Bateman's character, Mark Loring, who is what I assume the writer would consider (based on name dropping such as Sonic Youth, and the fact that his band opened for The Melvins) an "ex-indie rocker" turned yuppie who settled down and threw away all of his dreams to be a family man. Loring re-examines his position and assures us he is not as old as he seems. Ultimately he grows distant from his wife along with the idea of adopting Juno's baby and asks for a divorce. Planning to move into a loft in downtown (assuming to jump start his rocking career as a musician), Loring becomes the epitome of an early mid-life crisis.

Browsing through YouTube I happened upon an atrocious slide show someone made to accompany the Moldy Peaches song. Now I've always believed in the phrase or idea (though I despise terminology of the first), "you gotta sell out to eat out" but I wounder what Adam Green and Kimya Dawson would say about this. I mean collectively they put out one main studio record, along with very similar solo albums, all under the idea of making some what immature, un-listenable, we're gonna do what we want music- much like the Daniel Johnston or Ween approach. Also, their self titled full length album was released around 8 years ago. Among the many layers of irony in using such a song in this big Hollywood film, I find it interesting to see how a film can translate something which previously failed to catch on in the pop music industry to a widely accepted, and loved piece of music.

Allmusic.com's review (I'm assuming was written well before the release of Juno) is a perfect example. Not to mention, and here's the kicker, the writer uses Anyone Else But You as their "one song which proves a point" song.

Picture Beat Happening without the charm and wit (and with even less musical talent). The Moldy Peaches attempt to be humorous and fail miserably, thinking that using "turd" in their songs is tantamount to being funny. Unfortunately many of the songs are musically quite good (some, however, are just horrible). A few even start off with great lyrics, but a verse or two into the song break down; "Anyone Else But You" is such a song. Musically it is nice and lyrically it even starts off quite well, but very quickly it degrades. The Moldy Peaches have a great lo-fi approach to music which is too often spoiled by poor lyrics; maybe their live performance -- in which the duo dresses in a rat costume and a sailor outfit -- simply doesn't translate well into recorded media.

I guess the punch line (if there is only one to be found here) is that the very thing Mark Loring leaves his wife over, turns out to be what actually happened to the Moldy Peaches in real life. What remains in the end is this-

Raised to Hunt

2008-04-18T00:20:00.007-04:00

Throughout his project, Raised to Hunt, Brian Lesteberg picks up on a form of nostalgia, which continually draws me back to revisit the images. Perhaps its this (regional?) nostalgia, I find so captivating and parallel to the work I have been making in rural Florida. Another point to address (I will leave this one open for now) is the role, be it constructed or inherent that nostalgia assumes in a work based heavily on place.

Something to Think About

2008-04-17T01:43:00.009-04:00

To profess in hierarchical academia, one's critical thought upon a lesser, one then assumes the role of critic. Of course, as does the colleague (of the lesser) in such a situation, however that is another argument. Though to profess in a democratic environment from the stand point of a superior, one's lack of understanding regarding a work insists the reiteration of a key essay (which perhaps may go a bit under the radar).

"All this means in fact that one believes oneself to have such sureness of intelligence that acknowledging an inability to understand calls in the question of the author and not that of the of one's own mind, One mimics silliness in order to make the public [or group of lesser colleagues] protest in one's favour, and thus carry it along advantageously from complicity in helplessness to complicity in intelligence."

Roland Barthes-
Blind and Dumb Criticism - follow the link for a PDF version of the full essay.
From Mythologies

New

2008-04-15T15:20:00.000-04:00

Women as Lovers

2008-04-14T17:19:00.008-04:00

Xiu Xiu- Women as Lovers (2008)

One of the things (among many) that I respect most about Xiu Xiu is thier relentless drive to put out one record a year. This seems as though it would become problematic on the creative front; however Jamie Stewart and Caralee McElroy successfully continue to write songs which differ slightly from those on previous albums, all while not deviating from their initial idea of what the music should sound like and accomplish. From 2002- 2008 Xiu Xiu has released 6 studio albums and 2 live recordings- not to mention the countless singles and splits which never made it on the studio albums. On Women as Lovers, Stewart included Devin Hoff, and Ches Smith to play various objects and instruments which ends up sound quite a bit like the pre-Xiu Xiu band, Ten in the Swear Jar (Jamie also fronted). In short, as I have already heard and do agree with- this album seems a bit more "listen-able" to those not really into Xiu Xiu.

Anoush Abrar & Aimée Hoving

2008-04-13T12:40:00.003-04:00

Avocats 11
Aimée Hoving © 2004

Upon graduating from the University of Art in Lausanne, Switzerland, Anoush Abrar and Aimée Hoving have since worked together creating stunning images which span throughout numerous different projects. Abrar and Hoving also share a website that hosts to what some would consider a whole career worth of work.

Show

2008-04-12T21:21:00.000-04:00

The show turned out great, and I would like to thank those who came out. One thing I can say about this show which was particularly nice, is that we had a steady flow of people all night as apposed to a giant rush. Again, thank you!

Goya's Ghost

2008-04-12T20:25:00.010-04:00

I recently watched Goya's Ghost (Directed by Milos Forman), and while I admit I was rather amused and uncomfortable throughout the film, a very specific question arose. The very same question which accompanies just about every film Hollywood produces with a historical subject (I know, I know for some unexplainable reason The Passion of the Christ is an exception)- Why is this film in English, as apposed to the regional language? Let me say, I know this sounds a bit overly critical for Hollywood's standard, however the delivery of these films are simply atrocious. In opposition, one may argue that this film was made for the masses (Americans) and to avoid low ticket sales due to a subtitled film, the producers hired English speaking actors and actresses. O.K., I get it, but also, If one is going to make that argument, then the subject of The Passion of the Christ (which pulled in a mere $370,782,930 in the U.S. alone- and was subtitled) insists that the only time a film resists being dumbed down, is when it addresses the largest cult that has ever existed. This happened for the sole purpose of allowing the viewers to feel as if they were engaging with 100% factual information- again the masses which fail to question. Now, I don't believe Goya's Ghosts would have made my top 10 films ever (or even top 20 for that matter) had it been filmed with Spanish speaking actors and actresses, however, I feel it may have been much more watchable.

Sorry March

2008-03-30T03:21:00.012-04:00

It looks as though I've been busy. Anyways, I love the Stone Roses.

BFA Thesis Show

2008-03-30T03:21:00.010-04:00

Click image for a larger view.

I have a few more loose ends to tie up; primarily making three more prints and the installation, however this should be nice and I hope everyone can make it. The Warphaus gallery is located behind the Taco Bell on University Ave.
April 4th 6-10pm